Spirit Fire
by sakurademonalchemist
Summary: Yusuke's fate as thug seems set in stone...until one day a girl from the good side of town appears. Now he's friends with a hidden mafia heiress and loving every minute of it. However there are some things even he wasn't expecting...being a spirit detective in the mafia is one of them.
1. Chapter 1

**This was made mostly to see if it could work, and to make Tsuna's lightning someone OTHER than Lambo. Yusuke seemed to fit the bill perfectly. ;)**

* * *

Everyone had heard of Urameshi Yusuke, one of the _worst_ delinquents in the city that shockingly wasn't under the command of Hibari Kyouya.

Shocking in that Hibari had damn near _every_ punk, ne'er do-well, and delinquent in the city under his command, or afraid of him.

Urameshi lived far enough away that he could slip through those particular cracks, while close enough that his reputation was almost as feared as Hibari.

Almost, because this side of town was too nice for him to frequent.

So when Tsunami Sawada found herself on the wrong side of town, with no idea how to get home once she finally did locate the grocery, it was with some alarm that she found herself surrounded by the gangs Hibari had more or less converted or worse, run out of the good side of town. The ones smart enough not to get his attention a _second_ time, lest he track them down.

"Hie!" she screamed, unaware that she would soon have an encounter with the other devil of Namimori.

Hearing the sound of fists landing, she kept her eyes firmly shut until she only heard the sound of traffic.

The thugs were all out cold, with a boy wearing a green gakuran, slicked back hair and cocky expression looking rather smug over them.

"Ya alright?" he asked.

She nodded. It didn't take a genius to realize that she was right next to _the_ Urameshi Yusuke, the demon delinquent of Namimori.

Seeing the hand, she took it as he helped her up.

"Can't stand losers who gang up on a girl who got lost. Plus this counts as my good deed of the day!" he said cheerfully.

Yusuke lead her out of the 'bad' side of town back into more familiar territory. He was nothing like she had heard, in fact while he was a bit rough around the edges, she could sense he was a good person under that tough exterior.

Which was why, a month later, she found herself on the wrong side of town on purpose this time. She followed her instincts until she located Urameshi again.

"Eh? You're that girl from last month."

He recognized her? She did her best not to blush from relief. It would have been awkward if he hadn't.

"I wanted to thank you. For rescuing me that day."

Yusuke looked openly embarrassed. It was blatantly clear the girl didn't belong here... her clothes, while rather well worn, were too well made to be from here. And she looked like a lost kitten who had wandered away from her mama cat.

She wouldn't last two seconds around here.

He only did it because he knew his conscience would never let him hear the end of it if he had ignored her distress.

"I couldn't walk by and let those losers do who knows what to you."

"What's this Urameshi, your new girlfriend?" sneered another rough looking teen.

This one had the familiar pompadour of the disciplinary committee, except she didn't think he was one of Hibari-san's minion.

"You do realize walking around with that hair style is going to create a lot of confusion. Especially if you went to the other side of town. It would almost certainly draw Hibari-san or Kusakabe-san to you," she commented.

Yusuke snickered.

"Kuwabara wouldn't last five seconds against that demon!" laughed Yusuke.

"Then why is he wearing the hair style of the disciplinary committee?" she asked in confusion.

"Wait, you mean the rumors that everyone from his second-in-command down all have pompadours is _true_?" said Kuwabara in shock.

"I don't know if they're trying to emulate Kusakabe, or if it's a mandatory hair style..." Tsunami replied helplessly. She could sense "Kuwabara" wasn't a bad person, the same way Urameshi was a nice guy underneath.

"So who is she?" asked Kuwabara, unconsciously relaxing around her. Next to him, Yusuke did the same.

"Ah! I'm Sawada Tsunami, nice to meet you!" she said, realizing she hadn't introduced herself.

Yusuke grinned. He liked this girl, even if he wasn't sure why she was on their side of town.

"Kuwabara Kazuma," said the pompadour teen. He blushed openly when she smiled at him.

"Urameshi Yusuke."

He almost fared the same when she turned that smile on him. Seriously, he didn't deserve someone like her around him. She was too nice and from the good part of town.

It was ironic, but he'd soon reevaluate that assessment in a few short years when the "kitten" would eventually grow up to be a fierce tiger.

* * *

Yusuke was not having a good day. His mother was on a bender and worse, locked him out of the house. _Again_!

Fuming, he went to take out a smoke, only to feel a now familiar presence in the area. Perking up, he honed in on Tsunami-chan like filings to a magnet.

The girl was a kitten in a den of wolves, and she wasn't afraid of them in the least. Especially after she managed to befriend the strongest wolf in the entire area.

Yusuke grinned.

"Tsunami-chan!" he called out. She brightened and headed straight for him.

"Why do you have a bag next to you?" she asked curiously.

"My ma's on a drinking binge again and I have no idea where she hid the key this time. Easier to have a bag so I can crash in some abandoned building until she comes back," explained Yusuke.

She tilted her head.

"What about Kuwabara-kun?"

"No way in hell am I asking him for help. Besides, he doesn't have the room," scoffed Yusuke. "And Keiko is out too."

Keiko was his childhood friend, and she had hit it off almost immediately with Tsunami. Mostly because like the timid girl, Keiko saw past Yusuke's rough exterior to the person under it. She seemed very happy to have another girl to bond with, especially since Tsunami didn't even look fazed at Yusuke's blustering.

Unfortunately, there was no way he'd ask Keiko for help. He had his pride!

Tsunami frowned.

"Why don't you stay with me then?"

"What?"

Surely she was joking! She lived in the good side of town, wouldn't the neighbors talk? Or worse, her father start something up because of his reputation?

"We have more than enough room, and mama doesn't mind visitors. Not like I have any other friends to bring home anyway."

"What about the neighbors?" asked Yusuke. No way was he damaging her reputation.

The look on her face was way too familiar. And what did she mean she had no other friends?

"They already think less of me," she said cryptically.

Yusuke tried to fight her on it, but Tsunami was surprisingly stubborn. Reluctantly, he followed her to the other half of Namimori. He could already see the condescending glares of the people around him and resisted the urge to sneer. Tsunami barely batted an eye, even if he had to steady her a few times when she tripped on the most ridiculous things. She also wasn't fond of dogs.

His sharp hearing quickly caught the whispering of the neighbors, and he barely resisted the urge to snarl at them.

Who the hell did they think they were, calling her "Dame Tsunami the walking catastrophe" like that? These assholes weren't fit to lick her shoes!

His anger barely restrained, though from the looks of it Nami was far too used to being called "Dame Tsunami", and the snide remarks from the older women about her father, or lack thereof.

Sawada Nana was a nice woman, but a bit of an air head. She clearly hadn't realized her daughter had been going to the other side of town, or made friends with him.

But she still welcomed him inside with a smile, if a bit cautious.

It was weird. The two of them lived alone (Tsunami's father "worked overseas" according to her mother, but Yusuke noticed the distinct lack of any pictures) but were still kinder than any of their neighbors.

The food was better than anything his ma had made, and Nana seemed to warm up to him pretty fast... likely because Tsunami had never really brought someone to their home before and introduced him as her friend.

Later, he found out the full story on why Tsunami always made her way to their side of town after school, sometimes even before it was over.

And he thought he had problems.

"So these losers all call you 'Dame Tsunami the Walking Catastrophe' because you're clumsy and not good at school, and because your dad is nonexistent?"

"The one time I thought he was actually alive, and could do something, he told me to 'man up and take the punches' when I asked him to talk to the parents of the kids who bully me the most," said Tsunami miserably. "Which is why I'm of the opinion my mother hired a particularly stupid escort to try and cheer me up when the bullying got really bad into pretending he was alive."

"Ouch," said Yusuke with sympathy. Considering he could tell Nana was a bit oblivious to certain things, it was no wonder the neighbors thought they had free reign to gossip about his friend like that in the open.

"Hibari keeps the worst of them from getting brave enough to try something, but I still get pushed a lot, and most of my class seems to think I'll end up a streetwalker or something even worse because I have no father and I'm not very good at anything. And no one ever tries to be my friend because it would only open them up to the same treatment," said Tsunami miserably.

Well that explained why she attached herself so quick to him, from a single rescue.

Yusuke patted her on the head. He vaguely noticed her mother outside the door listening to the entire thing, crying.

Clearly she hadn't been aware of how bad things were for her daughter.

He was already forming a plan to get the worst of these losers off Tsunami's case.

* * *

Hibari was not in a good mood, and it only got worse hearing the herbivores cause a stir about someone near the gates. It was someone who _definitely_ didn't belong, and more importantly shouldn't be here. Not unless he had a death wish.

Hibari would have to deal with this intruder personally.

"What do you want, Urameshi? Your brand of mischief is not tolerated here," said Kyouya leveling a tonfa at him.

Urameshi smirked, and it rankled him. Herbivores shouldn't be this confident in front of a carnivore.

"Yusuke! What are you doing here?" yelped a herbivore he was partially familiar with, if only for the sheer number of reports he got on bullying behavior from the fake carnivores. She was a weak animal, and thus prey.

And yet here she was, easily conversing with this possible carnivore like she knew him personally.

So she was the mystery Namimori student that had been spotted frequently around the other side of town. The one he allowed to fester if only because it meant an ample hunting ground for his men.

And for him, if he was ever really bored.

"Herbivore, going to that side of town is forbidden," said Hibari glaring at her. She flinched, but stood her ground.

"Yusuke is my _friend_. I'm not going to quit visiting him because you don't like the idiots who tried to challenge you and failed," she said flatly. She heard the whispers behind her from the other students, but ignored them with the ease of long, long practice. Yusuke's glare at them all shut the smarter ones up, but that didn't mean she wouldn't be hearing of this later. Repeatedly.

"Besides, what sort of friend would I be if I didn't pick her up from school? If only to insure that there aren't any...accidents... along the way," said Yusuke grinning. Except his grin was more like a trained attack dog all too happy to rip into anyone stupid enough to bother the one who held the leash.

Some of the smarter idiots backed off from Tsunami, but it was Hibari's reaction to Yusuke that cemented his "place" among the good part of Namimori.

"Dog, if I catch you up to any mischief in _my_ territory I will bite you to death. Are we clear?" glowered Hibari.

"Fair enough," said Yusuke unconcerned.

The fact she was quick to hug him in full view of her school, once Hibari departed, only insured that the message she was not to be trifled with was sent across loud and clear.

"Why did you come here?" she asked, curious.

Yusuke grinned.

"People like to think of you as a 'no good catastrophe', right?" he asked. She nodded, wondering why he had braved Hibari to pick her up. "Well how do you think they're going to react if they think you got a trained attack dog ready to bite their heads off, regardless of the fact it's that demon prefect's turf?"

Her eyes widened.

"They'll be too terrified of coming near me. But why?"

Yusuke looped one of his arms around her shoulder.

"Consider it fair trade for letting me crash at your place while my ma's on a bender. Besides, it pisses me off they think they can get away with pushing one of my friends around," said Yusuke.

She tilted her head.

"It's a rep thing, isn't it?" she asked.

"That too," admitted Yusuke.

If he allowed one of his friends to be pushed around as much as she was, then it would only make his own rep look bad. Keiko was at least mildly popular and protected by her rep as the "perfect student", even if the teachers frowned on her association with him. Tsunami didn't have that. She was the school's punching bag.

And that really pissed him off.

Tsunami didn't know what to think. On one hand, this meant her own reputation was going to sink even lower in the eyes of the adults. She could already hear them talk about her behind her back, how she was almost certainly doomed to be a "nobody".

Except... Yusuke was the first real friend she had. And it wasn't like her reputation had been great to begin with. Far from it.

Yusuke noticed how she straightened up a bit, almost coming to a decision.

"Let those idiots talk. I'd rather have you as my friend than a bunch of fakers who hate me anyway. Just... try not to piss off Hibari-san too much, please?" asked Tsunami with wide eyes.

Yusuke's grin was wide. If there was one thing that was true of both him and his mother, it was that when someone had their loyalty they had it for life. They were like loyal hounds that would always come back to their master, even when things were going to shit.

"I'll try, little sister," he said, rubbing her head.

"Does this mean I should start calling you Yusuke-nii then?" she asked smiling.

Yusuke rubbed his head embarrassed. Well, Tsunami was like the adorable little sister he always wanted... and it wasn't like he minded being called "big brother". Besides, this would definitely cement her rep as someone you didn't want to mess with, for fear of him coming down on their heads.

"Why not."

Tsunami beamed and hugged him. She always wanted a big brother.


	2. Chapter 2

It was the talk of the entire school. The useless walking catastrophe Tsunami Sawada had somehow gotten in with the number one "free" delinquent of Namimori to the point he openly let her call him "big brother" to his face. And he didn't even deny her claim! He patted her on the head for it!

Needless to say there was now a wide berth between the other students and her, and to the annoyance of the gossip mongers she didn't even react as if she noticed it!

Takeshi was not one of the bland, boring people who walked around and saw nothing. Far from it.

He saw too much.

He could see that she had been desperate enough for a friend who wouldn't torment her that she willingly attached herself to Urameshi, and that he apparently did have a soft side because he went out of his way to clean up the few weaklings Hibari ignored because they weren't worth his time.

He was like a trained attack dog, more than happy to bite anyone who bothered his "little sister".

The thing that struck him most was the fact that Tsunami didn't seem bothered by the whole situation. Far from it...she looked rather happy about it. Like she was finally throwing off the lies that had surrounded her and given up on making friends with their classmates.

People who had openly belittled and tormented her for years.

Takeshi could partially relate. People "liked" him because he was so good at baseball and "popular", but he held no illusions about what would happen if he suddenly couldn't play. No one bothered to get to know the real him, and they only liked him because they were eager to siphon off his "popularity".

And then the worst happened. A single careless moment of not paying attention and suddenly his batting arm was out of commission for two months.

His 'friends' were all sympathetic, but he wanted to seethe. He couldn't stand these people, and he didn't want their fake sympathy!

Anger and annoyance quickly turned to depression. What did he have to live for now? His skills would only atrophy from disuse now that his arm was out of commission, and he had no idea what to do without baseball.

There was a dark rain cloud over his head, and he had no idea of how to dispel it.

Tsunami observed her classmates. For the most part they were all idiots, but there were one or to exceptions.

One such exception was the baseball star, Yamamoto Takeshi.

Out of all of the idiots who inhabited her class, he was one of the rare, rare people who hadn't joined in on the mocking comments or snide remarks. In fact he seemed to be drifting, as if he had no idea what to do with his life.

So when she found out he had injured his arm in a way that he wouldn't be able to play baseball for at least two months, and the way his 'friends' didn't even notice or care how much he was hurting, it made her blood boil.

Couldn't they see he was in pain? That he was totally lost without his favorite sport?

Yusuke would later attribute it to her being too kind to the "strays" she kept picking up, even while he cheerfully declared her the "Spirit Detective Mascot". Even Hiei couldn't fight against her puppy dog eyes when she was pouting.

She went to the vending machines and got two drinks... one of which was for Yamamoto.

Seeing him alone and miserable, she calmly walked up behind him and pressed the cold can to the back of his neck. Seeing him jump in surprise, she grinned.

"Mind if I eat my lunch with you?" she asked. Everyone was already going off to eat in their little groupings, ignoring them completely.

Hibari was right... they were annoying herbivores.

"Ahaha... sure!" he said, not really paying attention.

They ate in silence in their little alcove. It wasn't surprising Yamamoto had found one of her favorite hiding spots.

"They're all idiots, aren't they? Our classmates."

Yamamoto was silent, though she had the feeling he agreed with her.

"They walk around thinking they know everything and don't really see the truth. Like the fact you're clearly hurting more than just from your arm," she said, matter of fact.

He put down his chopsticks and Looked at her. He felt quite a bit of shock when he realized she didn't see him as "Takeshi Yamamoto, baseball star". She just saw _him_.

He laughed nervously.

"You don't have to smile."

Takeshi blinked.

"It's just... what am I supposed to do?"

Tsunami put her own chopsticks down.

"Well... you could come with me. I'm sure Yusuke-nii would have ideas," said Tsunami.

Takeshi didn't have anything better to do. So after school, he followed her to the bad side of town, at least according to the adults.

"So who's this?" asked Yusuke from where he was.

"Yamamoto Takeshi, he's from my class."

Yusuke stared.

"What happened to your arm?"

"Accident with a baseball machine. Clean break," said Takeshi dully.

"He needed something to take his mind off his broken arm, so I thought you might have some ideas."

Yusuke looked at Takeshi. There was something of an...emptiness...in him. One well hidden by a practiced mask. However under that emptiness was the sort of well forged steel you might find in a proper samurai blade. One that was absolutely loyal to whomever they chose to serve.

Even if this Takeshi guy felt a lot like the yakuza men he avoided like the plague. The natural killers that went through anything and everything in their path when ordered.

Yusuke grinned. Trust Tsunami to find a well honed killer hiding in her school. One that had yet to realize his real self. He'd be a good bodyguard.

"Urameshi Yusuke," he said, grinning.

"Yamamoto Takeshi," said the other boy, his fake smile firmly in place.

"So what exactly do you like to do?"

"He's the baseball star of our school. Lousy bunch of sycophants..." muttered Tsunami darkly.

"He's not one of those idiots who bothered you, is he?"

"Actually he's one of the extremely rare people who never joined in."

"Well if nothing else we can hit the arcade. I think they have some games for you can play with one hand," said Yusuke.

"Which one? I've gotten really good at pachinko lately," said Tsunami cheerfully.

"Yeah, I know. I think I heard the owner comment on how you have the devil's own luck. You might end up invited to the black games," said Yusuke dryly. It took him forever to get into those!

"What are the black games?" asked Takeshi, with a small sign of life in his voice.

"Where the real gambling takes place. I've earned a cool hundred thousand betting in those, and they do all sorts of things like cage fighting," said Yusuke. Which was where he earned most of his disposable income. More reliable than stealing, and it had less risk of drawing the attention of the demon prefect.

Takeshi had never been in a pachinko parlor...mostly because the few in town had immediately moved to this side of the city out of fear of Hibari coming after them. It didn't take long for him to get hooked, though his luck was rather poor.

Still, it was more fun than moping and Tsunami helpfully gave him advice with Yusuke chirping in every so often.

For the first time in a very long time, Takeshi was grinning for real. He was having fun with people who actually saw him, not the baseball star. In fact they couldn't care less, outside of asking his opinion on the betting rings for games.

* * *

Yusuke was in a very good mood, especially when he saw Yamamoto... no, he insisted they call him Takeshi, actually smiling for real. Those losers in Namimori didn't know a good thing when it was right in front of them.

"You know I think you should really introduce him to Ryohei," said Takeshi laughing.

"...You mean that insane captain of the boxing team that's always yelling 'Extreme'? Sasegawa's older brother? That Ryohei?" asked Tsunami.

"Well if he likes fighting so much I'm sure Ryohei-san would love to meet him. And I don't think even Hibari would complain if Yusuke happened to come over to 'play' with him...if only to calm that guy down."

Tsunami snickered.

"You might have a point. He should be there tomorrow, I think," said Tsunami.

"Who's Ryohei?" asked Yusuke.

"A guy in our school who's obsessed with boxing and is always using the word 'Extreme'. I heard he had this insane work out regimen and that he's been almost busted a few times going to the underground pit fights because none of the other teams can keep up with him. He's always accepting challengers," said Takeshi.

Seeing the grin on Yusuke's face, he knew he definitely scored some points with the rough teen.

Takeshi found himself still smiling when he went home, even if he did get a lecture from his dad about gambling.

Oddly enough, it didn't really faze him much because the next day, Tsunami went straight to him again and shared lunch.

It was hard to believe that the loneliest girl in his class saw right through him and was brave enough to get past all the pain their class put her through long enough to break through the mask he hadn't realized he had built up around himself.

Even when his arm healed and his "friends" suddenly came running back now that he was popular again, he barely spent any time with them.

He much preferred hanging with Tsunami and Yusuke.

"EXTREME!"

Yusuke winced at the volume level. He had held off on meeting this "Ryohei" until Takeshi was healed up enough to become Tsunami's unofficial bodyguard. The guy was alright, if a bit odd in the head.

At least Yusuke felt vindicated about the feeling he had about Takeshi when less than a month after his arm was properly healed, he started walking around with a shinai and a sudden aptitude in a sword style he had never seen before. The guy might be a bit weird, but Tsunami had earned his loyalty by breaking his mask and actually being there when he needed someone to notice him. And to a lesser extent, that went to Yusuke himself.

"I heard from a reliable source you know how to fight. Care to have a bit of fun?" asked Yusuke with a cocky grin.

Ryohei's smile was like looking right into the sun. It was that blinding.

"I'll extremely fight with you!" he said with enough enthusiasm that Yusuke had no doubt the guy would fit right in with his friends.

He narrowly won, mostly through a dirty trick, but that didn't dampen Ryohei's spirit. Far from it.

"You're an extreme guy, Urameshi! Join my team!"

"I don't think I could keep up the grade average and I'm pretty sure that Hibari would get pissed if I started encroaching on his turf. But I wouldn't mind coming to visit for a good old fashioned fist fight," said Yusuke.

"Extreme!"

Yusuke thought Ryohei was a good guy, almost like a slightly more straight laced Kuwabara. Especially when he found out that Ryohei went to 'extreme' lengths to keep his younger sister from worrying.

It didn't take long for the white-haired boxing nut to start joining the little group. Or for him to join Yusuke in the real pit fights to earn cash.

He did feel a _little_ sorry for Suekichi, introducing his old friend to Ryohei. The boxing nut took the kid under his wing, and now the guy had to participate in his insane work out regimen every morning. And he did mean every morning. Who the hell woke up at six to run around like an idiot every day?!

On the plus side, the kid's boxing ability did improve while training with Ryohei, so that was a good thing.

* * *

"It... it can't be."

Tsunami had gone to the other side of town to see Yusuke... only to find out from Keiko that he had been hit by a car and wasn't expected to make it.

Atsuko, Yusuke's mother, was in denial and a total wreck.

Tsunami would have broken down, seeing Yusuke like that, had it not been for Yamamoto and Ryohei beside her. He had come as soon as he heard the news, running at...extreme... speeds to get there.

Seeing him lying in that hospital bed with the cloth over his face, it was like something out of a nightmare.

It took a few seconds before Atsuko registered the girl crying, especially since she had no idea who they were. However a quick explanation (and the proof that she was telling the truth by providing an identical key to the mystery one Yusuke had around his neck) and Atsuko found herself barely hanging on to her son's "little sister".

A girl who had trusted Yusuke enough to welcome to her home, and a family who saw past his delinquent side enough to actually give him a copy of their house key, despite living on the good side of town.

It broke her heart that she had no idea this girl existed until her son died doing something heroic. That there were people other than Keiko-chan or that idiot Kazuma who treated her son like a treasured friend.

Seeing that tiny girl come with the taller boy with the feel of a natural hit man (Atsuko was around the yakuza types often enough that she recognized what he was pretty quick) and then borrow his bat long enough to hit the two asshole "teachers" who bad mouthed her son... it made her feel a measure of pride that her son had found someone so loyal that was willing to work past their meek exterior to defend her son's honor. Even if it was an adult.

Unseen by the crowd of people at the wake, the ghost of Yusuke was cheering on Tsunami who was putting the odd lesson he gave her on how to throw a proper punch or knee someone in the balls to good use on the two teachers he hated the most. They totally deserved it!

Botan, on the other hand, was staring at the tiny girl with the now bloody bat.

What in the name of Enma-sama was that girl doing _here_? And why were her Flames sealed?!

Behind her was the ghost of a man long dead. He was untouchable because he was outside of Enma-sama's jurisdiction. All Children of the Sky were, especially from that family. Like Yusuke, he was cheering the girl to further violence.

"I'll take whatever test you want. I'm not leaving her like that," said Yusuke.

Seeing the look on Tsunami's face when she found out he had died... it was too painful for him to bear.


	3. Chapter 3

**The Child of the Sky thing is a reference to the Vongola rings. Since their souls leave an imprint on the rings and get placed in the Throne of the Sky, they aren't fully dead. Happy to see so many of you loved the fact Giotto was cheering Tsunami on last chapter though. XD**

* * *

Tsunami wasn't the only one crying with relief when she found out Yusuke had a chance to come back. However that was the only bright spot.

It was going to take months for Yusuke to convince the god of the dead to come back. Months where his influence over the worst of the delinquents in town would go missing.

There was a major upset in the lines of power, and until he was back and active again it could mean untold amounts of problems. Which was why Tsunami was doing something she never would have considered a year ago, before Yusuke entered her life.

She was approaching Kyouya Hibari directly in his office to ask for his help keeping the "lesser carnivores" in their place.

"Enter!" barked the voice of Kyouya. It took everything she had not to flinch. He sounded pissed.

Hibari glared at the intruder. Sawada Tsunami was the weakest of the herbivores under his watch. Outside of her attempting to attach herself to a potential equal carnivore, she was uttering uninteresting.

So it was only natural he would be taken aback by her request to train her.

Hibari stared at her openly.

Sawada was an herbivore who almost never spoke up in class, and who was only now starting to come out of her introverted shell that she had been shoved in by the lesser herbivores. The mere fact she was openly asking _him_ to train her in how to fight was something he never would have expected.

And if she was anyone else, he would have refused her on the grounds she was too weak to be of interest.

Except... this was a girl who was almost _universally_ bullied, harassed and beaten up by the fake carnivores. She had zero friends until recently, and any other herbivore in her position would have tried to transfer to a new school or killed themselves under the strain. More to the point, she had enough strength to actually return to the lesser part of his territory _on her own_ to befriend someone with a reputation almost as wide spread as Kyouya's own.

Which meant she had the potential to be a tiger cub, rather than the kitten he had always taken her for. And that made her interesting.

"Hmph. I have no patience to train a green horn, and I highly doubt you could be interesting enough to keep my attention as you are now in a fight," said Kyouya flatly.

She partially deflated.

"But..."

She perked up and he could see a fire in her eyes that was held in check by something.

"I do know someone that _does_ train complete novices in martial arts. However if I give you his number I want you to agree to keep that damn carnivore far, far away from me," said Kyouya flatly.

"Okay," she said in relief. Then an idea occurred to her. Something to pay him back for the number. "On an unrelated note, exactly how often have you bitten any of the delinquents to death in recent months?"

"They're under _my_ control, herbivore," he said darkly.

"Not all of them. Since Yusuke-nii won't be around for a few more months while he earns his way back, the ones on the other side of Namimori have lost the one keeping them in check. They're going to get very cocky and might even try to make a play for your half of the city until he returns..." she said, eyes gleaming.

Kyouya perked up at that. Though his eyes narrowed at her.

"What do you mean 'when he comes back'?" he repeated dangerously.

"Apparently his death wasn't on the books, so Enma-sama agreed to give him a chance to come back. Except it's going to take several months, during which time the idiots that were kept in check by his reputation are going to get ideas above their station and cause trouble in your territory."

Kyouya _wanted_ to tell her that it was ridiculous, but there were things even he couldn't fully explain. Like the red flames that his uncle could use and kept pretending didn't exist. Or the hints of violet and indigo that sometimes manifested on his favorite weapons when he really got into it.

Well, he had been rather bored lately and there was no way in _hell_ he was going to let some uppity delinquent try to cause trouble in HIS town. Even if he normally left the policing of that to the weaker carnivores like his men.

Hibari looked positively bloodthirsty at the idea of teaching more of the fake carnivores their place.

If nothing else, Sawada had just provided him a few months worth of entertainment.

* * *

Kyouya's uncle was tiny, but rather polite and highly amused at the fact his nephew had actually given his number to someone like Tsunami.

Fon was positively adorable. Her mother looked like she wanted to hug him to bits.

"So little one, you wish to learn how to fight?"

Tsunami nodded. They were in her room, mostly because her mother was busy cooking dinner.

"I know my big brother is working towards coming back after the accident, but it's going to take several months before he earns Enma's favor to return. And I have the feeling things are going to get very...interesting...when he comes home, so I want to be able to stand by his side and not as a potential hostage when he does."

Fon's serene smile almost cracked.

Most people would tell her that coming back from the dead and believing the gods would give someone a second chance to return was ridiculous.

Then again, most people weren't hit with a curse to turn a grown man into a toddler or work for the underworld where all manner of strange and bizarre things were almost commonplace.

It sounded rather far fetched, but not entirely impossible.

Besides, there was something about this girl that said she had a lot of power waiting to be tapped into if she had the right training.

"Very well, I suppose I could at least give you a thorough understanding of the basics," said Fon. "What do you know of martial arts?"

"Nothing at all. Before now I was more interested in escaping my bullies than trying to fight back. With how clumsy I am, showing any sort of backbone would be just begging for them to hit me harder," she replied honestly. "Never mind the fact that if I showed any real talent for fighting, there would be an almost _certainty_ Hibari-san would have challenged me at some point to see if I was worthy of 'playing' with him."

If Fon had been drinking anything he would have choked in amusement. His nephew was rather...bloodthirsty. As a natural warrior it wasn't that big of a surprise he'd go after the stronger fighters to challenge himself.

"You're refreshingly honest, little one."

"I don't like liars. And I really hate it when people pretend they care when in reality they're faking it," said Tsunami flatly.

Like the man her mother insisted was her father. The one who was never around and the one time she almost begged him for help with the bullying he flat out ignored her.

Tsunami was of the strong opinion her father was dead, and that the man her mother claimed was him was some drifter who happened to look like him to the point he could fool her.

Fon's smile shifted, just a little.

"Well I promise that I'll try to be as honest as possible with you. If there's something that shouldn't be discussed I'll at least give you fair warning and not lie to your face."

Tsunami beamed at him. She liked him already.

* * *

 _The next morning..._

Fon was awoken by a very odd experience.

"EXTREME!"

He looked so very much like Kyouya after a nap that it took him a few moments to register what had woken him up.

"Morning, little one."

"Morning, Fon-sensei."

"What on earth is making that racket?"

"Onii-san. He agreed to wake me up so I can join him in his morning runs. I haven't quite gotten to his level yet, but he never tries to leave me behind like some would. Even if Takeshi is such a bear in the morning..." said Tsunami cheerfully. She had already woken up five minutes earlier to change into her running clothes.

Fon blinked, still a little sleepy. To be fair, it was _barely_ six in the morning.

Tsunami eyed his sleepy form before an idea occurred to her. She went into her closet and found a backpack that was still good and a pair of noise canceling headphones.

After Ryohei took notice of her, she bought a pair to dampen his "Extreme" habit of yelling loudly in the morning. She easily scooped up Fon and a light blanket for him to use as a pillow, and handed him the headphones.

It didn't take much for him to get the idea, and he easily fixed up a spot in the backpack (which was left open) before putting on the headphones and going back to sleep. He had the feeling his new student would wake him so they could get some morning training done before school.

"So who's he?" asked Ryohei at a slightly lower volume level.

"Hibari-san recommended him to me. He said he could teach me the basics of Chinese Kenpo," said Tsunami.

Ryohei blinked. Tsunami-chan had asked him to learn boxing, so he decided to have her join him in his morning runs to first get some stamina. She reminded him too much of Kyoko for him to teach her how to fight just yet.

"He sounds very extreme!" said Ryohei.

"I hope so!" she replied cheerfully.

The two ran at a sedate pace (for Ryohei) until they reached Takesushi.

"Morning," yawned Takeshi. He was not someone who enjoyed waking up early, and did so under extreme protest.

His father found it hilarious though.

Takeshi noticed the backpack.

"What's in..."

Then he heard a yawn almost as jaw-cracking as his own. A small head that looked far too much like Hibari Kyouya to be a coincidence wearing Tsuna's headphones popped out of the back.

"That was surprisingly relaxing," said the tiny person who had been snoozing in her backpack.

"Who is this?" asked Takeshi warily.

Tiny size, pacifier, and an aura that practically screamed dangerous...

He had to be an Arcobaleno, which meant mafia. His dad had been rather open about what he would be getting into if he decided to keep following Tsunami into those gambling dens...especially once he finally manifested the blue fire that his old man had.

Tsuyoshi didn't want his son to accidentally be roped into a dangerous Familigia without knowing the truth, and considering what he had done before he retired to raise his son in neutral territory, it was an almost guarantee he'd be noticed rather quickly.

"This is Fon. He's agreed to teach me Chinese Kenpo, or at least the basics."

Takeshi looked at Fon, before his usual fake smile plastered on his face. Fon immediately recognized Tsuyoshi but said nothing...though he was very pleased with the tea.

He had a new source of his favorite drink.

Ryohei left to continue his run, while Takeshi went through his morning routine of practicing with the bamboo sword his father gave him. Since they had a decent dojo, Tsuyoshi left Fon and Tsunami to practice in there. It wasn't like Takeshi took up that much space and it meant that Tsuna could get breakfast before she went to school.

* * *

Fon was Not Happy _._

It wasn't that he was complaining about his newest student... the girl was a genuine delight to teach as she actually listened to his corrections without complaint and tried her hardest every time he told her to do something. Nor was he upset about the fact she had an amusing habit of cuddling with him at night, usually from the fact she was so exhausted she forgot he wasn't an actual toddler.

No, it had everything to do with the fact that some idiot had sealed a _child_ with Active Flames when she was very young.

There was only ONE reason a Sky seal would be warranted, and he highly doubted a five year old (because her mother clearly remembered her daughter's personality shifting from happy and friendly to timid and scared when she was roughly around five years old) would have done something so heinous that a seal would be warranted.

If she had been latent, then it wouldn't have done much harm. At most it would have kept her from awakening her flames except in an emergency. But she distinctly remembered an incident before someone visited where she saw pretty flames on her hands. She couldn't remember the color, but she remembered that after the visit she never seemed to get warm at all.

Tsunami-chan had gotten used to the cold, but she didn't like it.

If Fon ever found out who was stupid enough to seal a child with active flames, he was so going to introduce them to his Storm Dragons.

Children were sacred, and Flame Active children doubly so. It was almost instinctive to protect and nourish such a gift, and for her to awaken so young meant she had a lot of potential inside her.

Well, far be it for him to let such a travesty continue. There were a few ways to break a seal, and he had little doubt her Flames had been trying to free themselves for years, especially with the intense bullying problem she had. All she needed was the right sort of push and some of the seal would crack. At least enough that he could work with it.

* * *

 _Three months later..._

Tsunami was visiting Yusuke (she knew she couldn't "talk" to him while he was working to get his body back, but she still visited regularly) when she realized with horror that the house he lived in was on fire.

She knew there had been a string of arsons in the area (something that had pissed Kyouya off to no end) but she never thought his house would be hit as well. Plus with Atsuko's "cleaning" habits it was a veritable fire trap!

She didn't think twice, and barely registered Fon's cry of alarm when she ran in. He cursed and went in after her, already dialing Takeshi, Ryohei and Kyouya.

Tsunami reached Yusuke's room, and the front of the house was already engulfed in flames. Just touching the door when she reached him told her going out that way was a bad idea. And she wasn't about to open up a window.

She was trapped, and so was Yusuke.

Fon looked irritable. While he was _technically_ flame proof to a point, his student wasn't. He could admire her loyalty though...not many would jump in without hesitation to save a friend in a burning building.

"EXTREME!"

Tsunami almost sobbed with relief. It was Ryohei!

She spotted Takeshi nearby.

"Stand back, and keep clear of the wall," he warned. She shifted her hold on Yusuke's still unconscious body. It was incredibly heavy and the smoke was making her dizzy.

Ryohei's fist broke through the cheap wall with ease, and within moments he had an opening big enough to carry everyone out.

However the sudden influx of oxygen created a flashover, and Tsuna was so very close to the flames.

There was a surge of _energy_ around her and Fon, and the air seemed to clear for a few brief moments. Something inside her raged and lashed out, and for several moments her eyes went from a warm brown to a stunning amber orange color.

Takeshi helped her out while Ryohei easily carried Yusuke. Kyouya was annoyed, but helped to relocate the group to his home since it would mean less annoying questions from his father in the police force.

Keiko sobbed with relief when she saw that Yusuke was alright, even if she was surprised Tsunami had gotten there before she did.

However Fon's attention wasn't on Tsunami (who had passed out in Takeshi's arms from both the smoke and the sudden energy inside her) but on something above them.

Being an Arcobaleno had it's perks... including one he hadn't been aware of, like seeing the spirits of the dead. That or maybe it was just the after effect of whatever the boy and the blue reaper had done.

The teen looked like a delinquent, but Fon had little doubt he had sacrificed something important to protect them. Likely his chance at coming back to life.

Such loyalty...he hoped the gods of the dead rewarded such behavior appropriately.


	4. Chapter 4

Tsunami bolted up from her bed, face red as a tomato. That was an incredibly _vivid_ dream she had, and somehow she had the feeling it wasn't a dream at all.

She had kissed her older brother on the mouth and he had woken up. She thought he had lost his chance to come back last month after that fire, but apparently not.

Fon yawned, before curling closer into her natural body heat. She didn't feel as cold as she was used to, especially after the fire.

And Fon seemed more determined than ever to train her even harder.

Today was one of her days off from training with Ryohei. He had to prepare for a tournament next week. And Takeshi had a game this weekend.

The less said about Kyouya's "patrols" in the other part of town, the better. It was only because of him that Kuwabara only had a few...mild... beat downs from the local gangs in the area than multiple ones because of a deal he made with a rather skeezy teacher.

Unsurprisingly the one who left the teen battered and bruised after the fact for having to deal with the "crowding of the fake carnivores" was Kyouya himself. He was only in the hospital for three days, which considering how annoyed Hibari was, had to be a record of some sort.

She cuddled with Fon a bit more. Somehow she had the feeling it was going to take a while for Yusuke's body to "charge" up enough to start glowing.

* * *

 _Outside the house..._

"Come on! Why'd you have to rope Nami-chan into this?" complained Yusuke.

Kuwabara was horrifying, Keiko was understandable, but why was little Tsunami picked too?!

"Out of the people around you, only those three have the highest resonance with your soul enough to pass on their life force. Though I have to admit, I was surprised the little princess was picked over your mother."

Yusuke gave Botan an odd look.

"Little Princess?"

"Long story, and not important right now. Though if _she's_ the one that wakes you it's an almost guarantee something will happen soon after you return," said Botan.

Yusuke was a Latent Flame, one that was never "destined" to wake up. Tsunami was a sealed Flame, one that was slowly breaking down the force keeping her powers forcibly locked.

If she was the one who gave him the kiss of life to come back, then there was a very, very high chance that Yusuke's Dying Will Flames would shift from "Latent" to "Active". And if that happened, it was practically a guarantee he would end up one of her Guardians as a result.

Considering who she was related to, it was probably a kinder fate for the teen than just the one he was going to have when he came back. At least he'd fit right in with those people.

Yusuke clearly wanted to know more, but there was no way she was telling him when it was unlikely Tsunami was going to be involved outside of the minor bit of gambling she did on the side.

Tsuna's first and only thought once school let out was to head straight to the apartment Atsuko got after the house was burned down. There she found Yusuke glowing like a light bulb. She didn't even think twice, following what the dream told her to do.

She just kept telling herself it was like CPR, even if she didn't know how to do that.

She heard the first exhalation of real breathing, before Yusuke woke up. There was a weird warmth in her chest and she would almost swear she was blushing.

"Hey. Thanks little sister."

Tears were flowing freely down her face.

"Yusuke-nii-chan!" she bawled, hugging him tightly. He hugged her awkwardly, just glad to be alive again.

* * *

 _The next day..._

Kyouya was somewhat pleased to have Yusuke alive again, and if he was happy, Kuwabara was thrilled. And not just because the other teen saved his cat.

"You're damn terrifying when you're bored," said Yusuke to Hibari. The other teen smirked.

"You saw?"

"Hell yes I saw what you did! I thought only I could inspire that level of respect from those losers! Thanks for helping that idiot, by the way."

Hibari smirked and didn't say anything. At least at first.

"You retake control of the lower wards for me, and call me in for any fun fights and I'll consider us even."

"Deal," said Yusuke. He saw how Hibari fought... that guy earned the title of demon prefect. He'd rather be on his good side than against him, even if it was sure to be a fun fight.

"So if you were watching me, how did you like seeing your little Tora-hime learning how to fight?"

Yusuke was positively grinning at Tsunami, who was blushing.

"You've got a great right hook!" he said proudly. "And that teacher of yours is pretty damn awesome!"

"Fon-sensei is really amazing."

Yusuke almost put Tsunami in a headlock. Hibari had already left the second he realized the conversation was about to shift to his uncle.

Besides, he had the agreement Yusuke would bring him in on the fun fights, since he was so bored lately.

"Thank you for the compliment. So, you're her 'big brother'," said a voice behind them on the wall. It was Fon.

Yusuke put his hands behind his head and grinned. He could tell Fon was a pretty "cool" character. Tiny, but strong as hell.

He wished his teachers were more like this guy...he might actually pay attention in class!

Fon jumped onto Yusuke's shoulder.

"Hm... you look like you _might_ become a decent fighter with some polishing up. Your friend Kazuma has yet to awaken to his natural potential however," said Fon.

"Fon-sensei got Hibari-san started on his tonfas, years ago. He knows a lot about hand to hand fighting," said Tsunami. He was nice, patient and he was willing to explain things properly when he realized she didn't understand.

Thanks to him she had mastered most of the basic forms of Chinese Kenpo, at least enough to be considered a novice rather than a total greenhorn. Strangely she didn't seem so clumsy when she practiced her fighting skills.

"So, which style would you suggest I try?" asked Yusuke, wanting an honest opinion.

"Why don't we go somewhere and have a sparring match first. I would have to become acquainted with your natural fighting style before we consider anything specific," said Fon easily.

"That reminds me! Tsuyoshi-san said that he'd make something special to celebrate you coming back!" said Tsunami.

Yusuke perked up. Hello free food!

"So you're going to be working as a Spirit Detective, boy?" said Tsuyoshi, serving some of his special teas.

He wasn't about to serve alcohol to a minor.

"I told Botan if they wanted me to work then they damn well better pay me properly or I'd sick Nami-chan and her puppy dog eyes of doom on them!" laughed Yusuke.

Tsunami promptly turned said eyes on Tsuyoshi who flinched. No normal human should have eyes that innocent and cute, let alone the weird sparkles and flower effect she had going on. Add in just the right head tilt and it was no wonder Yusuke considered it a deadly weapon.

Tsunami hummed with a happy expression.

"Botan was able to set up a way for me to talk to Koenma-sama, and he agreed to pay him so long as the paperwork was filled out properly to the point he just had to stamp and file it," she explained, before a slightly irritated look came upon her face. "Which means _I'm_ going to have to fill it out for him, since his handwriting it barely legible."

Kuwabara and the others snickered at Yusuke.

"Though at this point I'm just thrilled to have him back!" said Tsunami, hugging Yusuke tightly.

"She's going to be extra clingy for weeks, isn't she?"

"Like you wouldn't believe," chuckled Tsuyoshi. Tsunami had been positively devastated when she lost him, and it was only the knowledge he had a chance to come back that kept her going.

Yusuke was openly impressed at the improvement to Tsunami's fighting skills. Before she was like Keiko... able to throw a decent punch, but not much else.

Now though... now she had something that was close to an actual spine and she could do more than simply break someone's nose.

And with him back, he could teach her how to fight dirty or at least supplement the lessons Kyouya's unofficial gang had been giving her on the subject. Most of them _were_ former delinquents after all, barely held in check by a much bigger predator.

Of course nothing could have prepared him for what Fon was about to put him through the second he found out Yusuke could now use his spiritual energy.

Which also went hand in hand with his "Flames". Yusuke was firmly a Lightning primary, which meant Tsunami wouldn't have to go searching for one later.

"If you wish to be useful to Tsunami, then you will have to train until you can no longer move. Otherwise you'll be a sitting duck to demons at the very least," said Fon bluntly.

Nearby Tsunami was running laps with Ryohei and Takeshi to build up their stamina... she would spar with Kyouya later since she had a firm handle on the basics.

She was used to taking hits. It was past time that she learned to dish them out, in her opinion. And while Kyouya wouldn't pull his punches, at least she knew that if she could last against him she could handle almost anyone else in the city.

The fact she kept coming back to him, despite the multiple beat downs he gave her during training, only garnered his respect.

She was slowly turning from a timid kitten into a fierce tiger.

Fon dodged Yusuke's clumsy brawling style.

"Sloppy, inefficient, and you waste too much movement. I can see room for vast improvement," said Fon bluntly.

"Well I ain't never had anyone teach me," said Yusuke.

Fon's smile was positively predatory.

"Well I can fix that. But only if you're willing to learn."

Yusuke spared a glance to Tsunami, who was trying her hardest.

"If I learn this, will it help me keep her safe?"

"If you had learned how to properly fight and use your Flames, you might have avoided the accident or at least taken the brunt of it without dying. The property of Lightning is 'Hardening', which means you should be a tank, fighting wise."

Yusuke grinned at the idea of taking hits and dishing out even harder ones in return.

"Well what are we waiting for then?"

Fon smirked.

Yusuke would _almost_ regret saying those words...except even he could tell his loose brawling style was becoming a bit more structured, and while Fon was a strict task master he was still better than any of the teachers at his school.

For almost a solid month, Fon trained the teen into the ground, slowly increasing his ability to use reiki and Flames. It wasn't much, but it was more than what he had started with and he could tell a real difference. Tsunami had made her own improvements. She could now fight Yusuke and Kuwabara for five full minutes without giving an inch.

Which, considering how often she visited their side of town and how the rival gangs were _still_ getting the memo that Urameshi was back and planning to reclaim his territory, was a good thing.

And then came Yusuke's first "official" case since he took the mantle of Spirit Detective.

He had to find and retrieve the Three Treasures and if necessary take out the trio who stole them.

The first demon he ran into was too rough for him to risk his little sister. Goki was a brute, no two ways about it.

Kurama though...

* * *

Tsunami blinked when she saw the red haired teen at the school gates. Considering how badly he had been beaten up by Goki, she thought Yusuke might appreciate a 'friendly' face waiting for him.

"Hello. Who are you waiting for?" she asked politely. He seemed more like he was from her side of town than a local.

"Urameshi Yusuke."

Tsunami blinked, before she remembered something Yusuke was talking to Botan about a few days ago.

"You're Kurama-san, aren't you?"

Kurama, blinked.

"How do you know that name?"

"Yusuke-nii mentioned you were planning to return the treasure you took in a few days. It's probably a good thing you came to pick him up, otherwise he would have forgotten. I'm Sawada Tsunami," she said with a polite bow.

"I didn't know he had a little sister."

"We might not share blood, but he's the closest thing to an older brother I've ever had. Why did you take the treasure anyway?" she asked, tilting her head.

"I needed it to save someone important to me."

Tsunami seemed to look right into his soul, and he wasn't sure how to feel about that.

"It's your mother, isn't it?"

Kurama almost jumped, before slowly nodding. His eyes were wide that she had guessed it so fast.

"'Mother is name of god in the hearts of all children'. From what your file said you don't have any younger siblings, and you are single...not surprising considering the fan club of yours. Which means the only person you'd risk angering Enma-sama over would be your mother."

"You're very perceptive, aren't you?" he asked with a sad smile.

"If I couldn't see past the mask people put up, I never would have gotten an older brother as kind as Yusuke-nii. He might act all tough, but inside he's a caring and loyal person who wouldn't hesitate to jump into danger to protect his precious people. Just like I can tell you didn't steal that treasure out of greed or some dark desire, but to save the person you love the most," she said simply, her eyes almost glowing amber.

There was something almost unnerving about her eyes. But at the same time he didn't feel anything evil from the girl...quite the opposite.

"Ah! Kurama! Tsunami!"

"Hi, Yusuke-nii! I was just having a chat with your friend!" said Tsunami cheerfully.

"Before I return the treasure, I'd like to introduce you to someone," said Kurama. He took the addition of Tsunami in stride.

She had some mixed feelings finding out her guess was right. Happy that she had figured out what was really going on before Kurama used the mirror...and upset that his mother was in such bad condition in the first place to push him into such extremes.

"Botan said the mirror needs something in order to work," said Yusuke.

Kurama nodded. Before he could say anything, the doctor came up to warn him of his mother's declining health.

"It requires life! Specifically the life of the one who's using it," said Kurama.

"What?!" yelped Tsunami horrified.

Kurama did his best not to flinch.

Tsunami stalked up to him, eyes furious.

"Are you really going to put your mother through the agony of losing her only child just like that?" she said angrily.

"She's young enough to have more, and this way I know she'll be safe. It's to atone for my sins..." said Kurama.

The moonlight was caught by the mirror, awakening it's full power.

Kurama placed his hand over it, fully prepared to die for his mother's health and happiness.

Feeling his very life drain, he wasn't expecting what happened next.

There were two hands over the mirror as well.

"Take part of our lives as well," said Tsunami firmly, her eyes almost burning with power.

"No mother should have to outlive her child! It's too cruel!" said Yusuke in agreement.

There was almost a _surge_ of power...and it didn't originate from either of the boys. Instead it almost seemed to come directly from Tsunami.

She felt something being freed from a long confinement, and a surge of fire in her body. If she had remained aware once whatever was being taken occurred, she would have seen an orange blaze on her forehead and her eyes changed color to the warm amber. It felt like a part of her was being returned after a long slumber.

She passed out, and remained out cold for the rest of the night and well into the next day.


	5. Chapter 5

Yusuke wasn't the only one relieved when she woke up. Takeshi, Ryohei and Fon were there as well.

"What happened?"

"It would seem this 'dark mirror' chose to take something that shouldn't have been there, rather than claim the life of your...friend," said Fon.

Seeing her blank look, Fon sighed.

"Someone put a Sky Seal on you. A very strong one that would almost take a near death experience to break if it wasn't removed by the same person who placed it there. You should find that your clumsiness and inability to focus should improve greatly once you get used to having that seal off."

"What about Kurama?"

"Botan said that since he gave himself up voluntarily and didn't really use the mirror for something bad, he might get pardoned," said Yusuke. "His mom's fine, by the way."

"You really had us worried. You were burning up like crazy when Yusuke brought you home," said Takeshi.

"That would be the result of her Flames being freed for the first time in several years," said Fon. "Seals like the one she had on should never be placed on Active Skies, much less as young as she is. It's supposed to be a punishment for a _reason_... I highly doubt she did anything to actually warrant one."

Left unspoken was the fact he would be having _words_ with whoever was stupid enough to pull such a stunt on an innocent child, regardless of who they were. There was no excuse for putting that particular seal on a child...it was a miracle it hadn't killed her!

"You are going to be confined to bed for the next few days at least," said Nana firmly.

Tsunami's limbs felt like limp noodles. She wouldn't complain too much about being stuck in bed.

"So you just have to find Hiei and take his sword to finish your assignment right?" said Tsunami.

"You will be staying here. While I will admit that your involvement with the last thief did have several positive benefits, there's no telling what trouble you could get into while you're this weak," said Fon firmly. "And it gives me a chance to work on your Mandarin and give us a gauge how much your school work will have improved with that seal off."

She would have groaned, except she found languages interesting. That and Fon was a much better teacher than any in her school.

As the boys left, she had an unexpected visitor in the form of Hibari.

"Small tiger. What happened?" he demanded. Which was about as polite as he usually was.

"She did something rather foolish, but it will only serve to sharpen her fangs and claws to the point even you might be impressed with her," said Fon. Hibari shot his uncle a look. "There was something holding back her natural potential... something that was forcibly removed."

Hibari gave Tsunami a long stare. She would have squirmed, except she knew he didn't like fidgeting much. He seemed to be satisfied with whatever he saw though.

"When you are ready to play again, come find me little tiger. I want to see what you can really do," he said flatly. "I will excuse four days of absence."

Which was a lot, coming from him. He almost faltered when she turned her smile on him, to the amusement of Fon.

* * *

 _Hiei POV..._

" _Sawada Tsunami...the so called 'little sister' of Urameshi. She's nothing of note. Everything about her is weak and timid. Her temporary guard though..."_ reported the demon.

"What about the brat?"

" _Arcobaleno. His name in the underworld is 'Eye of the Storm', and he's the fastest of the group. He is a master of over a hundred of the human martial arts and his 'flame' allows him to disintegrate anything on contact. It's also rumored he is friends with Genkai, but not confirmed."_

"Tch."

Hiei was reluctantly impressed. While the girl wouldn't prove much of a fight considering she was weakened from whatever she did to save Kurama's pathetic life...her bodyguard was another matter. He didn't have to fight the fake toddler to know that it would be more trouble than it was worth.

Fortunately Urameshi had one other person he'd risk himself for. One not so well guarded.

Hiei set his sights on Keiko, rather than Tsunami.

Unseen, Fon slightly relaxed. He had been aware of the interest from their watcher, and was pleased that the demon had opted to leave his charge alone. He went back to teaching Tsunami how to speak Mandarin.

Without the seal, she was rather quick at picking up the little things and a good student. It was amazing the change in her demeanor.

* * *

"So let me get this straight... due to the fact this is his first offense and he didn't actually kill anyone, Hiei-san is on probation in Namimori. But because of the fact that your house is too small, you can't take him in?" said Tsunami slowly. The entire mess with the treasures had been resolved, but Koenma was still punished.

Kurama nodded slowly. He had volunteered to help Tsunami catch up to where she _should_ have been, school wise, as a way to pay her back for her help saving his mother.

Yusuke barely paid attention in school, Hibari was more interested in sparring with her and didn't really _attend_ classes, and the two others were sports nuts and barely keeping their GPA above a D. Fon was out because he was back in China for a few months, doing his job.

"While I'm sure he couldn't care less about sleeping outside or inside abandoned buildings, it would look better for him if he was in a 'stable' address and interacting with humans without causing trouble. And since you're already involved..."

"Well, we do have room. If nothing else we could clear the attic, though I doubt we'd have to go that far. And I'm fairly sure Mama wouldn't complain since it gives you another excuse to visit more often. If nothing else we could tell her he's a friend of yours who needs a place to stay for a while. Though it would mean I'd have to hit the gambling dens a bit more," said Tsunami.

"If it helps, he mostly came to the human world to look for his twin sister," said Kurama. "Now about this equation..."

Tsunami officially _hated_ math.

* * *

 _A few days later..._

"How the hell did you end up with him as a house guest?" asked Yusuke baffled. Sitting at the table looking rather irritable about the whole thing was none other than the same demon who kidnapped Keiko.

Hiei was just as confused about how he agreed to this as Yusuke was. Kurama and Tsunami looked entirely too amused at their expense.

"Kurama can't take him in for a bit, since his mother is still recovering from her illness. You don't have enough room in your apartment and letting him wander the streets to squat in abandoned buildings is just asking for trouble. We, on the other hand, have a spare room and an attic that can be cleaned out in a pinch. That and Mama doesn't mind the extra house guest," said Tsunami sipping her tea.

Hiei was more or less behaved, even if he didn't talk much. He seemed to be a bit weirded out by the warm reception he was getting and the fact Nana was rather oblivious to his bad moods.

Yusuke snickered at the look Hiei was giving him.

"Let me guess. You got conned into staying here by Nami-chan's puppy dog eyes," he asked.

"Kurama wouldn't shut up about how it would look better if I had a stable address and was able to behave around humans," grumbled Hiei.

That and the girl's eyes reminded him far too much of his missing twin Yukina for him to refuse. He was allowed to stay for as long as he needed, but he had to be on his good behavior.

Yusuke snorted.

"So little sister, how's your school work going?"

"Kurama is really good at teaching. Thanks to him I've been able to move up to the middle of the class for once...though the teachers seem to be of the firm belief I've been cheating for some stupid reason," said Tsunami, pouting.

It had gotten so bad she had to bring Kurama in with her to school and explain who he was before they even considered the possibility that maybe she had someone showing her how to study properly and understand the course work.

The reformed youko was less than impressed with Tsunami's teachers. The way they treated her really pissed him off, but he had to play the part of a model student.

Tsunami openly told him she'd look the other way if he "happened" to give them food poisoning or explosive diarrhea so long as it was never traced back to him.

"Besides... I told Hiei I'd introduce him to the resident demon in our school if he behaves," said Tsunami.

Yusuke blinked.

"You're going to introduce him to that carnivore?"

"His sword was confiscated until he proves he's learned his lesson, but he can still throw a good punch so he might survive. At the very least Hibari will have someone new to play with."

"Man... I don't know whether to laugh or pity you," said Yusuke to the fiery demon.

Hiei twitched.

"I don't need your pity," he said darkly.

"You say that now..." snickered Yusuke. "Think the Skylark will mind if I watch?"

"You can always ask."

Hibari didn't mind, so long as the other teen avoided interfering.

Hiei quickly revised his opinion of the so-called "Demon" of Namimori after the first few hits... Hibari might be human but he put up more of a fight than most demons would. It hadn't taken much convincing for Hiei to use his full speed against him, only for Hibari to be able to if not match it, at least be able to keep up.

The two were having _fun_ , and it was only just starting.

"What did I miss?" asked Kurama. He had come the second he felt Hiei's youki flare, only to find him playing with a human.

"Hibari is as good as Hiei, and they're still warming up. I'm almost tempted to introduce Hiei to Takeshi... his dad's teaching him how to fight with a sword and having a proper sparring partner could only benefit him," said Tsunami, passing a can of soda.

"That reminds me, I owe Ryohei a few matches," said Yusuke grinning.

"Did you clear this with your handler?" asked Kurama to Yusuke.

"Why should I? They're obviously playing with each other, and this way the runt will wear himself out for a few days and be less grumpy around Mama and Tsunami. It's not like they're going to get serious," said Yusuke.

Kurama eyed the fight. Both were clearly sizing the other one up and playing for the moment, rather than a serious fight. Hiei was definitely enjoying himself, as was Hibari.

He conceded Yusuke's point.

"So how is your mother?" asked Tsunami, passing some of the snacks she saved from the vending machines.

"She's doing much better. I have it on good authority she's going out on a date with her boyfriend the day after she's out of the hospital. I might end up babysitting his son though," said Kurama.

"I could always come over with my homework and we could work on that until they come back," offered Tsunami.

"I can ask, but I don't see that being a problem. Though my fan club might take offense to it," said Kurama grimacing.

If there was one thing he disliked about his human disguise, it was the fact that he had a rather massive fan club at his school. Apparently the females (and a few males) considered his human form _very_ attractive and had decided to group together.

They had yet to start stalking him, but once hormones properly kicked in, he had little doubt it would only be a matter of time.

The thing was he had no desire to court any of the girls in the school, if only because it would inevitably end in heartbreak. If not because of the fact he would eventually have to reveal what he was to them, or because they would end up dragged into things they weren't even remotely ready for.

It took a special person to handle being dragged into the spiritual side of things or being used as a hostage and still be able to accept it without freaking out. Keiko was lucky she was unconscious during the whole incident with Hiei.

* * *

Shiori not only didn't mind the idea of Tsunami staying over for a few hours, she openly seemed _relieved_ at the idea that her son was inviting a girl over for a study date. Especially after meeting the girl in question.

Shuichi had never shown any interest in girls before, and this was the first time he had introduced her to a _female_. Especially one that was only a few months younger than he was. The two of them would be absolutely adorable together, if things progressed past just being study partners.

At this point, Kurama was almost planning to ask Tsunami to act as his buffer against his fan club.

Fan girls were downright terrifying, and if things did progress like his mother clearly hoped they would, at least Tsunami wouldn't be caught flat footed when it came to his true nature.


	6. Chapter 6

When Fon returned, he brought along an extra. I-Pin was beyond adorable, especially with how she kept using her teacher/father-figure as a shield.

Tsunami didn't hide her reaction...she scooped up the little martial artist and cuddled with her. Fon looked openly amused by the whole thing.

"So I-Pin is your apprentice?" said Yusuke.

"She has a firm grasp on how to use Gyoza-ken and is a natural at it. Once she masters the basics, I was hoping Tsunami-chan could hire her out as a permanent bodyguard," said Fon tiredly. "As far as the Triads know, I'm training her to be an assassin like myself... she's not affiliated since I took her on."

Tsunami flinched at the idea of turning a little girl into an assassin. Depending on how quickly she mastered the basics, she could be killing people far too soon and ruin her childhood.

"I'd be happy to make her a permanent bodyguard. You've already done so much for me, so 'hiring' your apprentice and letting her keep her childhood is a small way to repay you," said Tsunami, cuddling I-Pin closer.

Fon relaxed. He would rather I-Pin keep her civilian life as much as possible without dragging her into the same darkness he was in.

I-Pin looked confused. She looked to her Master for clarification.

" _Tsunami is my senior student. She will practice with you in the mornings, and we will be staying at her home while I train you, unless a job comes up,"_ said Fon.

Tsunami caught most of that, so she quickly added _"You can call me big sister."_

I-Pin squinted at Tsunami, before she said cautiously _"Big Sister?"_

Tsunami squealed and huggled the girl even closer. Then she scooped up a slightly surprised Fon who took it all with tolerant amusement.

Nana had taken one look at I-Pin and squealed much in the same manner as Tsunami had.

"So they're staying here?" she asked rather happily.

Tsunami had a brilliant idea, and whispered something to Fon in Chinese. He nodded with agreement...Nana would be good for his apprentice.

"I-Pin is currently being home schooled by me, so you can think of her as your little helper while Tsunami is in class," said Fon smoothly. "I can act as translator until she properly picks up Japanese...she's only fluent in Mandarin at the moment."

"I'm sure we could set up an extra bed in Tsu-chan's room!" said Nana. She bent down to I-Pin's level, or as close as she could get. "You can call me Mama, okay?"

Fon helpfully translated for his apprentice. I-Pin looked confused, but did her best without mangling the title.

"Mama?" she tried. Nana clapped her hands with delight and patted I-Pin on the head.

I-Pin was very befuddled for a few days before she settled in. Once she did she loved it, because she had thought she'd never had a real family again after hers were killed.

She had thought herself lucky when Fon picked her out of all the other children.

Even if Hiei was very grumpy, he had a surprisingly soft touch when it came to small children. And Yusuke didn't mind acting as another sparring partner...he held back just enough to keep from really hurting her, but he took her ability to fight more seriously than any adults would. And Kurama always grew pretty flowers when she asked politely.

It was home in a way she could only have hoped for.

* * *

"So an old friend of yours is hosting a tournament for an apprentice?" asked Tsunami.

"Genkai has agreed to let us use her temple for flame training. Considering Yusuke's skill level, he might end up her apprentice purely through sheer stubbornness and if I know her, she'd be _delighted_ to abuse your ability to get him to actually work."

Kurama had to fight back his laughter at the way Tsunami manipulated Yusuke into at least _trying_ to study. His grades still sucked, and he skipped more often than not...but at least it was better than before. He sometimes got a C, rather than a barely passing D on his report cards.

Not even Keiko could get Yusuke to study. She was slightly miffed Tsunami could pull it off so easily.

Tsunami giggled at that.

Kurama found it all highly amusing, and he was over often much to the delight of both their mothers. Shiori was beyond _thrilled_ to see her son taking an interest in a girl, much less one as adorable and innocent as Tsunami. And Nana was beyond pleased to have made a new friend of her own, gossiping with Shiori over how cute their children looked together and how glad she was that "Shuichi-kun" was able to help her "Tsu-chan" with her homework.

The two of them got along like a house on fire and Tsunami was happy because Shiori wasn't anything like the mean spirited or snide women in the neighborhood.

"When is this tournament anyway?"

"Next month. We're going to claim you're in home schooling for the next six months, and I have it on good authority that Tsuyoshi-san is going to send Takeshi with you. Ryohei and Kyouya can keep an eye on things here," said Fon.

Ryohei would stay for his sister, but the two of them would visit as often as they could to spar/play with the others. It was good Flame training for Kyouya as well, while Ryohei could learn a few tricks on healing from Genkai.

"We're going to be heading up there early though. It's going to take at _least_ a week before word properly spreads, and I doubt she'll care if we arrive before the idiots do," said Fon.

"When?" asked Tsunami.

"Two days. Plenty of time for the paperwork to go through and for you to pack."

It also gave Nana a chance to have a last "Girl's Day Out" with her daughter before they went into training for six months, and to take I-Pin with them.

Only to return home the next morning with an extra. A little Mist with a glassy right eye and timid nature.

Tsunami certainly was a magnet for strays that desperately needed a good home.

"This is Nagi-chan. If her _mother_ comes asking for her... then I'll turn a blind eye to anything that happens after. I'm sure Kurama would have _plenty_ of ideas," said Tsunami.

The way she empathized the word mother said volumes of who had abused the innocent girl. Fon wasn't exactly inclined to be _civil_ with child abusers.

"Oh I'm sure we wouldn't need to risk his parole for something like that," said Fon, his serene smile full of teeth. It was an unspoken agreement that if the girl's abusers came looking for her, he'd be more than happy to deal with them personally, rather than wait for the Youko to come around.

If Kurama did anything, he'd potentially risk his parole. If _Fon_ was the one who dealt with them however... well, there wouldn't be any bodies left to worry the authorities with.

Nagi hugged Tsunami a little closer. She felt safe in a way that she never thought possible around the other girl.

"Hey short stuff (Tsunami scowled at the nickname...it wasn't her fault Hiei was still taller than her!) who's the new girl?" asked Yusuke, _gently_ ruffling Nagi's hair. He could tell abuse when he saw it, so he made very, very sure that the one-eyed girl saw his hand coming and that he was as light as possible to avoid her flinching.

"This is Nagi-chan. She's going to be staying with us," said Tsunami.

"Uh-huh. On a level of Ma to Nana, how bad are we talking about?" asked Yusuke flatly.

"Worse than Auntie Atsuko on her worst day," said Tsunami without hesitation.

Yusuke didn't wince at the implications of that. Clearly it was the mother who was the abuser, along with whoever she was married or dating.

Atsuko took the news that Yusuke had more or less picked up an adorable little sister before his temporary death rather well. While she wasn't perfect, she did genuinely care for her son when she was sober and she never hit him.

As such she was perfectly fine being "Auntie Atsuko" to Tsunami.

* * *

 _At Genkai's temple..._

It was official. Tsunami had a new idol and her name was Genkai. The small woman looked open amused at the fact that the teenager, who looked like a fluffy kitten, wanted to learn how to throw grown men many times her size.

The fact she didn't complain or argue once about also taking over the domestic chores (laundry, cooking and general cleaning) also put her in the old woman's favor.

Tsunami didn't mind learning how to be a "Yamamoto Nadeshiko". Her mother was considered one by anyone who got to know her. To Tsunami was a major compliment, because she was very much her mother's daughter.

"Brat, you will join me in morning meditation and strength training while you're here. I don't tolerate slackers," said Genkai.

"I'd recommend the more...active...style of meditation when it comes to Tsunami-chan," commented Fon. "Her Flames are so strong she has far too much energy to burn off, so she has trouble sitting still to calm her mind. I found putting her through repetitive forms so that she can commit them to muscle memory works best."

Genkai nodded. While Fon would handle most of the Flame training and martial arts, she could still pound in the basics of reiki, improving the girl's stamina and several obscure spirit techniques that would only end up lost if her apprentice didn't show the inclination to learn more than her Spirit Wave.

And if the girl committed her hand to hand to muscle memory while learning how to meditate properly, well it made her job easier. At least the girls didn't seem inclined to bitch and moan about doing housework.

Tsunami couldn't help her reaction. She didn't even try to hide it.

She was laughing her ass off at the look on Yusuke's face when he found out he had been tricked into becoming Genkai's apprentice. Fon was hiding his own amusement behind his sleeve, but those who knew him could tell he was laughing just as hard.

"Shut up! It's not even funny! And it means I won't be able to see the match," said Yusuke petulantly.

"I'm sure we could convince Genkai-san to let you go. It's only a one-day thing, right?" said Tsunami.

Odds were Genkai would allow it...though they might have to toss Fon into the mix so Yusuke didn't dare slack on his training.

"Ahahaha... well at least we'll all be thrown in the deep end together, right?" said Takeshi smiling.

He got to spar with Hiei every day once he finished his homework. Sure he missed baseball, but Genkai had a few very well reinforced baseball games and didn't mind playing catch with small boulders to improve his pain tolerance.

He got to practice his swing, and Genkai had someone she could throw boulders at who wouldn't bitch and moan if they got hit. It was win-win for both, even if Takeshi mostly spent his time "playing" with Hiei.

Tsunami found it highly entertaining to watch Genkai arguing statistics and plays from the games they watched via the internet with Takeshi.

Genkai seemed to be a lot happier and lively since they came to the temple.

"Hmph. I _might_ consider it if the slacker actually trains and takes the Stormy midget with him," said Genkai from the doorway.

Yusuke snickered at the description. "Stormy Midget" was Genkai's pet name for Fon. He took equal pleasure in goading her by reminding the old psychic that while he might be short, at least he didn't actually _look_ his real age. Hearing the two of them snipe at each other was something Tsunami and the others got a real kick out of every night at dinner.

Hiei sometimes joined in, but it was rare...because then the two would immediately turn on him.

Tsunami had mentally started to call the crotchety old woman "Genkai-baa-san".

Fon personally couldn't wait for Tsunami to accidentally slip on day and call Genkai that to her face. He was fully planning to get a recording of the woman's reaction, even if he had to pay Yusuke to get it for him.

(As it was, he only had to wait two weeks for Tsunami to slip up and call her that within hearing. He gleefully recorded it for blackmail while hiding the evidence. Genkai merely bopped Tsunami on the head much in the same manner as Kyouya when he was embarrassed, before telling her it was "Genkai-sensei only when we're in public, brat.")

* * *

 _A few weeks later..._

"Extreme!"

"Shut up, annoying herbivore," snarled Kyouya.

Genkai was grinning evilly.

"The brats are over by the cliffs. Now, which one of you is the boxer?"

"I'm extremely pleased to meet you, Genkai-sensei!" said Ryohei loudly.

"Oh goody. I've been promised a bratling who could take my sort of extreme training and won't whine about a few broken bones," said Genkai smirking.

Ryohei perked up at the words "extreme training".

It was an exhausted and worn out white haired teen that returned to Namimori, to the delight of Kyouya who had to listen to his loud voice the entire ride there.

His sister was shocked at the temporary change.

"Onii-san! What happened?" she asked in shock. Hana leaned forward with interest to hear this herself.

"Tsunami-chan's granny is _very_ extreme! I've never been pushed harder in my life and she's really skilled at healing others without medicine!" said Ryohei. There was an exhausted, but ecstatic smile on his face. He was genuinely enjoying the time he spent with Genkai. Not only that, but she was able to match him blow for blow in a real fist fight.


	7. Chapter 7

Genkai was sitting on the cliff with a rather large tea set and several cups. The bratlings (as she affectionately called them all) had to climb up to the top if they wanted any.

She hadn't expected to end up with an almost full house by humoring her old friend's request to let him train his two students in her home.

She didn't regret it for a second though.

Tsunami was just adorable...and magnetic. _Very_ magnetic. She knew Sky Flames tended to cause people to gravitate to them, but she had no idea it was _that_ bad.

From what little she knew of them, they were the equivalent of 'spiritual glue' for those with Active soul fire. The second you were caught in their orbit, you were theirs for life so long as nothing happened to the bond.

Tsunami was up the cliff first, putting down the weights that Genkai had tied on the girl. The day she started climbing up the cliffs like a monkey in less than five minutes, Genkai started adding weights. For every time she got used to wearing them, she added even more on top.

Fon was quick to teach Tsunami how to reinforce her body with Flames when she kept falling with the extra weight on her body. She had it mastered within a week. He hoped to get her ready to learn a few tricks he knew on channeling pure Flames into attacks.

All the _human_ teens who were staying at the temple or visited every week had mastered that trick within a month. Kurama was just pleased that he had finally unlocked his true form and his furry one thanks to the extra training he was getting.

Especially since the first thing Tsunami did upon seeing his kitsune form was squeal loudly before hugging him tightly. She had a way of reaching _just_ the right spots to turn him into a puddle of goo in her arms. She barely even reacted to his Youko form. Even Chrome (Nagi had dropped the name the first chance she had) had blushed heavily upon seeing it.

Hiei was loving every minute of their extended training session away from humans. In between getting Takeshi up to his level (the kid was a fast learner and all too eager to fight if it meant being able to protect his "hime" from anything) and playing with the detective and their little mascot as Yusuke had taken to calling Tsunami, he was improving leaps and bounds above what he had expected.

A pity they could only stay six months.

* * *

Yusuke was not above scheming. He knew Kurama liked Tsunami as more than just a "little sister" like everyone else saw her as. Except maybe Fon and Genkai.

To them she was a younger niece/granddaughter respectively.

He knew for a fact Kurama's mother and Mama were shipping the two as hard as they could. They would make an adorable couple, and at least with Kurama he knew the guy wouldn't break Tsunami's heart.

"So let me get this straight... you want me to kiss Tsunami on the cheek when our mothers get here...why?"

"You really think we're _that_ oblivious to the fact you like her as more than a sister? Besides, Mama and your ma are really shipping you two. Might as well give them some ammunition. And aren't you using her as a shield from your fan club anyway?" said Yusuke with a shit eating grin.

Kurama grimaced at the mention of his fan club.

"Point. You're surprisingly calm about the idea."

"Because you know damn well if you broke her heart, you'd have every single one of us after your ass in a heart beat. Besides... Tsu-chan has zero confidence as a girl," said Yusuke with a shrug.

Kurama had noticed that as well. The way she deflected Shiori's comments about how cute she looked in certain clothes, like she wasn't used to hearing it from someone outside her mother, who was obviously going to be biased.

The only friends she had in school were her Guardians, as no one wanted to get near her. A fact he found very odd, even with her reputation. Then again it could be a poorly thought out case of reverse psychology where the entire school was so drawn to her that they couldn't handle it, and thus lashed out if only to get her attention the only way they could.

It would explain far too much about why an entire school knew her as 'Dame-Tsunami' to the extent that nearly every class called her that.

Well...he was a kitsune and being mischievous was practically in his blood. Besides, the idea of seeing a heavily blushing Tsunami was positively addicting.

Nana and Shiori gushed over the party, enjoying the atmosphere... though they were very quick to grab their cameras the second Yusuke mentioned a special present he cooked up with "Shuichi" concerning Tsunami.

Tsunami's face was so red it was the same color as Fon's pacifier the _second_ Kurama kissed her firmly on the cheek. It was beyond cute and had the two mothers gushing about the whole scene while Genkai smirked. The old Cloud Latent (Fon had her pegged as a Cloud the first time he saw her... a Latent one, but still a Cloud) was drinking sake and simply basking in the pure feel of Tsunami's gentle Sky. She was too old to activate her Flames, but her reiki still enjoyed the feel of Tsunami's soul.

"That reminds me! Darling said he was going to be visiting next month!" said Nana.

Tsunami's face went completely blank. She turned to Genkai with a flat expression that said volumes of how she felt at that news.

"Do you think we could train extra deep in the forests in the event he actually manages to track me down?" she almost begged.

Genkai smirked.

"I think we could arrange that. Be a good test for you at any rate."

If she couldn't handle the low-level rabble that lived on her lands, then she'd never survive fighting next to Yusuke and the others.

* * *

 _One month later..._

Tsunami was running...but for once it wasn't away from danger. No, this time she was heading right for it. In her hands were a pair of tessen...or battle fans. Fon was trying to find a good weapon that she could use to channel her flames with.

The pair she had now were just practice ones...sharp enough to do a lot of damage, but not treated to be flame resistant. And with the decorative pattern on the blades that made up the fan, she could easily disguise it.

It wasn't that unusual for a woman to carry a decorative fan, and with some meaningless fluff around the edges no one would see the weapon for what it was.

Right now though, it was purely a weapon.

Genkai had dumped Tsunami deep in the untamed forest around the mountain...which she happened to own. Genkai owned the forests around the mountain on top of the temple she lived in. She wanted to make damn sure she had a place she could train in peace without having to deal with annoying neighbors.

That and she didn't really have much to spend her money on outside of updating her collections.

Every night for the week Tsunami would be in the forest, Genkai set up camp and kept the rations with her. Tsunami would be dumped somewhere in the forest and would have to fight her way to the plume of smoke where Genkai was waiting with hot food and a stiff drink.

Yusuke had long since dispatched the bravest and strongest demon that dared to set up shop in her forest. Bartok was still licking his wounds from that particular beat down.

Hiei was too busy playing with Takeshi, who only got better the more they sparred with their swords. Fon had helpfully supplied the two with several replacements so they didn't risk breaking their personal weapons.

Yusuke was undergoing a similar training regimen that Tsunami was. But to make sure that the two learned not to rely too much on each other, they were on opposing sides of the forest.

And because Genkai was a sadistic, vindictive old hag, she put him under restrictive training cuffs and refused to tell him how to remove them until _after_ the six months were up.

The amount of swearing Yusuke let out was rather impressive. The fact Tsunami was banned from having a similar seal on her because Fon didn't want to risk a bad reaction from whatever remnants might still be lingering from the one she had since she was a child just made her pout.

Fon sat next to an amused Genkai sipping tea.

"It sounds like the children are having fun."

Yusuke's diverse knowledge of swear words could be heard over the minor explosions caused by Tsunami.

Genkai smirked.

"If it wasn't for the little tiger, I'd never get that slacker to do half as much training as he does," said Genkai.

"Tora-hime is rather good at manipulating her brother," said Fon in agreement.

"...Pretty sure I saw her kitsune boy-toy putting tiger ears and a tail on her last time he visited."

Tsunami, as usual, was the first to reach the camp. She didn't look nearly as exhausted as she was yesterday.

She was getting used to this.

"Got any energy left to train?" asked Fon.

"Give me ten minutes and some food and I'll be ready to play," said Tsunami.

Genkai handed her a bowl of stew, and the girl dove in with a neat fervor. Once she finished, Fon took her aside and started training Tsunami in some more advanced moves with her tessen. She was still best with pure hand-to-hand, but she was getting much better with a weapon.

By the time Yusuke got there, he was pissed, tired and not in the mood to train at all.

Naturally Genkai made him meditate. He was not amused. At least she didn't try to make him sit still for it. Like Tsunami he had far too much energy... it was easier to drill in some martial arts in a set pattern to make him clear his thoughts than it was to make him sit around doing nothing while trying to clear the thousand and one thoughts in his head.

* * *

When Nana heard the knock at the door, she never expected who would be there to greet her.

"Hi Mama... we're home."

Nana stared at her daughter, who looked far happier than when she left. There was a quiet confidence about her now and she no longer tried to hide her growing physique under slightly too big clothing.

But mostly it was the way she held herself that said volumes.

Before Tsunami looked tired and unsure of herself. Now she had the aura of someone confident that knew they could handle a situation.

Tsunami still squeaked like always when Nana swept not only her, but Hiei into a massive hug.

"I dare say that this is cause for a party! How about we all celebrate at TakeSushi? I'm sure Tsuyoshi would love to help plan a proper party for you coming home~!"

"...Please tell me that you're seriously considering a divorce from that braying jackass and are planning to court Takeshi's dad," said Tsunami dead serious.

Nana's smile was a bit brittle.

"I'm still waiting for the grace period to be over for it to be finalized. I even paid for the notice to be delayed for a week. If he doesn't show up to contest it, then the fact he never signed a pre-nup is going to come back to bite him in the ass," said Nana.

"Mama, if that divorce goes through I'll not only help you sell this house, but I'll pay for your second honeymoon," said Tsunami seriously. "We might as well upgrade considering how much I've been making off my investments."

She took all the large chunks of cash she got from gambling against the minor yakuza (Yusuke was mildly miffed he didn't have her luck, and instead handed over his winnings from pit fighting for her to invest with) and turned it into larger amounts using her Hyper Intuition.

She not only did this for herself, but practically everyone with ties to the human world once they learned of her knack for making small sums into much larger ones. Even Fon trusted her with some of his savings...mostly so she could turn it into a trust fund for I-Pin and Kyouya should something happen to him.

Nana blinked, before she smiled.

While this home had been something she and Iemitsu had picked out during their newlywed phase, the fact was that with the addition of Hiei and the occasional times Yusuke crashed on the couch there simply wasn't much room left.

And considering her daughter was helping Yusuke out with his job, odds were they would end up with even more people who needed a place to stay. The house would fill up very quickly and the kitchen wouldn't be able to keep up.

"Once the papers go through and it's finalized, _then_ we'll talk about getting a new home," said Nana with a sad smile. It was past time for her to move on from the way things had been for far too long.

(By the next week, Nana was a free woman as the lawyers had simply declared Iemitsu 'dead until proven otherwise', citing that his visits were far too rare for him to be considered a proper husband. Even if he did show up, there was no way he could overturn the ruling without convincing Nana to re-marry him.)

Tsuyoshi was more than happy to throw open the main party room for Nana and the others. Even he can see a massive improvement in his son's ability to use the family sword style. Takeshi had used it so often to keep his head on his shoulders from playing with Hiei that he no longer had to even think about what attack to use. It had become entirely instinctive, to the point he had made up a few new ones to go with it. Tsuyoshi was very pleased with this.


	8. Chapter 8

Tsunami officially hated school. It had nothing to do with the amount of homework, but the people in it. At least Takeshi was in her class again.

Somehow the more cruel and vicious girls learned of her mother's recent divorce and decided to take out their boredom on her. Again.

Except this time things would be different. Tsunami wasn't as skittish as she used to be and there were far scarier things than a trio of bitchy girls.

Still, just to be safe she made sure to record _exactly_ what they were saying about her and her mother. If the teachers or their parents wanted to take this to court, she was going to make damn sure that the judge knew these insipid twits had provoked her first!

She saw Fon waiting and heard the snide comment of how the "toddler" at the gate was obviously her "son through Hibari-sempai". Fon openly frowned when he heard that.

The girls didn't notice that Kyouya heard that comment as well, because he was ten seconds away from biting them to death for it.

Too bad Tsunami beat him to it.

**CRACK!**

"My nose!"

"You bitch!"

Tsunami glared at the girls, before sliding into a smooth stance. In less than two minutes she had left the group with broken bones, black eyes and more than enough incentive to leave her the hell alone or else.

Kyouya's eyes were wide...and there was a distinctly pleased (and another emotion she couldn't quite identify, having never had it aimed at her before) expression on his face.

"Wao. It's about time, little tiger," said Kyouya, patting her on the head.

Tsunami beamed at him.

"It was long overdue."

"You damn bitch! Where did a no-good whore like you learn how to fight like that?" snarled Hanako, holding her broken arm gingerly. She was one of the worst tormentors Tsunami had.

Tsunami looked between an irritated Hibari and Fon.

"See the 'toddler' on the wall? He's Hibari-sempai's uncle... he knows more about martial arts than even Hibari does. Where did you think I was for six months, backpacking through Italy?" Tsunami said flatly. "And the only _whore_ I see is you and your two lackeys. Unlike you I don't need to sleep around to make myself feel better. Besides, if I recall correctly didn't you brag about losing 'that' when you were fourteen? Something about how your parents were too stupid to realize your 'tutor' was really your boyfriend?"

The girl looked as though Tsunami had thoroughly bitch-slapped her.

Outside the gates, Yusuke, Hiei, and Kurama were hiding identical smirks.

Tsunami had left Namimori a tiger cub and come back as a proper tigress with fangs and a nasty bite. She was done taking hits from these idiots.

"What is going on here?" snarled Nezu-sensei.

Seeing the girls on the ground and Tsunami was not, he growled. He hadn't had a class with the girl yet, as this was her first day back...so he had no idea that the beaten kitten who had left had come back as a tiger.

Hibari was all too happy to rip the fake teacher a new one. He had grown quite fond of "Tora-hime" as the group had come to call Tsunami and had decided to look into who her worst tormentors were.

Imagine his annoyance when he found out that this fool had lied on his job application and that he was barely a teacher in the first place. The man belittled the less scholarly students and only avoided Yamamoto because he was the star baseball player.

He was also one of the few who openly dared to say that the little tiger would only be good for laying on her back for strangers, instead of actually trying to encourage her to be better.

Hibari's eyes gleamed as he left Nezu a broken pile of bones before casually informing the principal of his deception. He also left a list of _approved_ teachers.

It didn't take more than a week for the rest of the school to get the same memo.

Tsunami had come back with fangs and claws and was most certainly not afraid to use them. The fact she could "play" with Hibari and not look more than slightly winded and still make it to class said far too much about her combat ability.

* * *

"...If you find the idiots who thought using these damn bugs was funny, I want you to make their deaths as slow and painful as possible," said Tsunami through the communicator.

Botan was _beyond_ relieved when she found out that Tsunami and her group not only could see the bugs (through repeated exposure to high levels of reiki/youki and a little nudge from their active flames) but that Hibari's men knew perfectly well how to handle unexpected riots.

They waited for Hibari to beat the living shit out of the instigators before throwing them into cells firmly tied up and unable to do a damn thing until they were called into court. With the added assistance of Takeshi, Ryohei, Tsunami, and Fon, Namimori only had to suffer the odd possessed human for about five minutes tops. There had been a special alert that went out saying that an unknown pathogen had been released and that those susceptible to it would go berserk and cause harm if infected.

Which meant a lot of civilians were sending out alerts to the Disciplinary Committee and once they were verified, they would get a ride from the members old enough to drive cars or motorcycles to the scene and subdue anyone infected while selling out small talismans to anyone in the area, claiming it was coated with a special chemical that would make the one holding it less likely to get infected.

The talismans were a pain in the ass to make and to be honest it wasn't like it was compulsory to buy them. Fon had certainly been amused by the whole thing when Tsunami mentioned _selling_ the things with a little white lie. It wasn't much, but it did cut down on the people who got infected.

Let it never be said that Genkai didn't have _some_ influence on her surrogate granddaughter. Nana certainly didn't care that the older woman had practically adopted her child as her own.

Yusuke wasn't the only one chuckling hearing that.

" _You should have seen what Kurama did to Genbu. His head was literally in his crotch! And Kuwabara_ barely _managed to kill Byakko through sheer dumb luck. Dumbass should have stayed for the extra training... sure Takeshi would have helped him learn how to use that stupid spirit sword of his."_

" _Shut up Urameshi! How the hell was I supposed to know that the old woman would have let me stay for proper training?"_

" _You're the dumbass who didn't notice that there were already people training in the field when we got to that old battleground!"_ Yusuke shot back behind him. Then he smirked. _"Of course fox-boy_ did _manage to get himself injured."_

"Injured _how_?" asked Tsunami with a dangerous note.

" _He'll need to stay off his feet for a few days,"_ said Hiei without hesitation. Kurama grumbled the word "Traitor" under his breath.

"Which means he'll be staying with us for a few days until it heals so his kaa-san won't find out."

" _Hear that fox-boy? Your girlfriend said that she'd play nurse for you!"_ cackled Yusuke. He was not above teasing Kurama for his love life, especially since he was officially dating Tsunami.

Mostly to keep the fan girls far, far away from him, but also because there was some genuine attraction there.

Kurama gave into the urge he had had for the past fifteen minutes. He gave Yusuke a rather firm headslap.

"Huh...and here I thought I was the only one who had that urge," said Tsunami amused. Kurama smirked. She noted the red stain on his stomach and narrowed her eyes. "And I think your _suggestion_ has some real merit Yusuke-nii. Clearly Hiei isn't the only one who needs a reminder to take better care of himself. I'm sure his _mother_ will understand when I explain the situation."

Hiei did not bother trying to hide his reaction to the expression on the fox's face. He was laughing his ass off.

" _What's the excuse you're going to give her?"_

"He was caught up helping Hibari and didn't notice the wound until after the fact. I'm sure Hibari or Fon would be happy to back me up, and they've been shipping us for weeks anyway," said Tsunami dryly. Hiei laughed even harder.

Kurama certainly didn't complain when, after the whistle was finally taken out by Yusuke, he found himself being fed by an overly amused Tsunami.

Mostly because humoring him while he was "bed ridden" meant that he usually got a kiss on the cheek for actually _behaving_. Sky or not, there was something addicting about the little tiger.

Or it could have been the fact she had bought a brush for long-furred animals and proceeded to give his animal form a very _thorough_ grooming that thankfully did not include ribbons or bows of any sort. He was a very happy puddle of goo in her lap as she got all the knots out of his fur and scratched in just the right places to make his back leg go completely nuts.

"I swear you're becoming a pampered pet," said Hiei when he saw one of her grooming sessions.

Kurama, being in his fox form said nothing. However the look he shot Hiei said volumes.

 _Have you_ seen _this girl? Who would turn down being brushed properly from someone who will grow into a major looker when she's a bit older?_

If being a 'pampered pet' was the cost of being allowed in Tsunami's lap, then he'd be a pampered pet.

Hiei snorted at the sheer ridiculous sight the silver-furred fox made on Tsunami's lap, acting like a total lap-fox.

He would say Kurama was growing soft...but then he'd have to admit the same of himself, and he refused to be a hypocrite. Tsunami had the ability to soften the edges around those who had been born in rather rough circumstances, and she never once treated him as the "forbidden child".

* * *

"EH?! Koenma gave you a tape for Yusuke? Please tell me this is some kind of joke," said Tsunami less than a week later.

"I wish. Just because I'm still technically on parole he thinks he can use me as his damn errand boy," said Hiei irritably.

"Right, you get Yusuke and I'll set up the tape player. And the popcorn."

Hiei gave her an odd look.

"Don't give me that. We both know if I left you to set things up you'd either get frustrated with the tape player and set it on fire, or watch it yourself and then likely go off without any back-up at all," said Tsunami flatly. "Besides this means you get to see Yusuke's reaction to hearing Koenma's sending him on _another_ mission not too weeks after that Saint Beast's mess."

Hiei perked up at that. Yusuke would almost certainly have a few choice words hearing that he had yet another mission.

It was a good thing Tsunami had Hiei retrieve Yusuke...the _second_ he found out what the mission was the hi-koorime damn near ran off pissed.

Koenma had stumbled upon where Hiei's twin sister Yukina was being held, and he was _not happy_.

Tsunami grabbed Hiei's ear without hesitation.

"Hold it right there pal. We are _not_ going to go rescue her without proper back up and planning. Besides, if you kill the human holding her...and we both know you would the first chance you have... then it will break your parole and then you'll really be in trouble."

"I am _not_ leaving her there!" snarled Hiei.

"Did I say anything about leaving her there?" said Tsunami, raising an eyebrow. "I'm saying wait for us to come up with a plan. And to see if Fon's available."

Hiei calmed down hearing that.

"Why Fon?" asked Yusuke.

"Because we can send him in with Hiei and claim that the fire demon hired him to kill the humans for him. Spirit World doesn't have jurisdiction over _human_ assassins and I'm fairly sure Fon would totally understand Hiei's feelings about his twin being held hostage like this. If not, I'm sure he could recommend someone who could help," said Tsunami.

Yusuke cracked his knuckles. This was one fight he wouldn't mind getting into, especially after finding out the scum was holding an innocent girl hostage.

One look at Yukina had him mentally replacing her with Tsunami far too easily, which only served to piss him off even further.

As it turned out, Fon was sadly unavailable but recommended one another Arcobaleno who was more than happy to help so long as they got paid... them _and_ their very unhinged partner.

Mammon merely had to confirm that Tsunami could afford their rates _and_ standard mission pay for Belphegor before they agreed to help. The fact that Tsunami would claim ignorance if any _looting_ were to happen in the mansion didn't hurt either.

Belphegor had a very strange laugh, but he had preened like a cat when Kurama accidentally revealed that he was in fact an actual prince... the crown the teen wore was in fact _authentic_ and more importantly blood-locked to the royal family. If anyone else tried to wear it, it would drive the person insane and boil their blood within minutes.

The plan was very simple.

Yusuke and his group would go in and cause one hell of a distraction, thus diverting most of whatever Tarukane had managed to drudge up in terms of security. (This included Belphegor, who was allowed to cut loose.)

Tsunami and her group, which included Hiei, Mammon and Kurama, would sneak in and find Yukina...and in the process loot the place of anything worth stealing. Considering Kurama was a master thief and Mammon was very good at fencing things on the black market, this meant the two would make a killing out of this. Literally.

And if they happened to find the shady crook (who had mafia-ties, and thus would likely recognize Belphegor or Mammon on sight) before Yusuke's group did, then Mammon would do exactly what they were actually being paid for.

To act on Hiei's behalf and gut the bastard in as messy a way as humanely possible.

He was very pleased with Tsunami's request to the Mist and her unhinged partner of a Storm.


	9. Chapter 9

"Mu. It sounds like the boys have having fun," said Mammon. Tsunami was _nothing_ like her idiot father, and when questions about Iemitsu immediately and vehemently denied any relationship with her "imbecilic genetic donor". Clearly there was no love lost between the girl and her 'father'.

The girl had a dry wit that Mammon could appreciate, and the two got along rather well. Mostly because Tsunami admitted to supplementing her meager allowance with high-stakes gambling, which she then turned around and used to make even bigger investments. She abused her Vongola Intuition shamelessly to make large profits, and do the same for her friends.

The second Mammon saw what she had in even one of her stock portfolios, she gained the Mist's immediate respect.

The two of them cheerfully talked shop while making their way into the mansion right behind Yusuke and the others. It wouldn't do for them to be _noticed_ before Yusuke's distraction took their full and undivided attention.

The quartet breached the side door unnoticed, and Kurama was happily stealing anything that even _looked_ remotely worth the time and effort. He had already agreed to split the profits forty-sixty with Mammon once they fenced the stolen goods (Mammon got an extra ten for selling it and 'holding' everything in a Mist-pocket).

Needless to say, Kurama was having a very good time despite the seriousness of the mission.

"I know, right? At least they'll take the brunt of the idiots and we can get Yukina in peace," said Tsunami, under a minor disguise.

Odds were that she'd only be _recognized_ if she went in as she normally dressed. And as a Sky who was still gathering her guardians, the last thing she needed was for the underworld to take notice of her.

Mostly because it would alert the Vongola that the Heiress they had more or less cast out was back in play again. She refused to be married off just because she wasn't the main heir!

Mammon agreed to keep their silence on who she was for one reason only.

Tsunami technically had a stronger claim on the title of Vongola Decimo than their boss Xanxus. If she could build a power base on her own, then it was likely she wouldn't try to take the title and Xanxus could claim the rings himself, thus making her a potential _ally_ later.

Right now Tsunami had put some black streaks in her hair, and was wearing a rather interesting outfit. She also had some tiger ears that twitched and a long tail wrapped around her waist like a belt (courtesy of Mammon who merely made Chrome's own fledgling illusions a bit more realistic... depending on how the mission went, Tsunami would likely pay Mammon for a few lessons for her sister's sake). Her coloring was mostly orange with a few streaks of the six other colors that made up the Flames of the Sky.

To be honest it looked like a rather conservative belly dancer's outfit...considering the top covered a bit more of her cleavage than the real ones did. The skirt still flared out, allowing her free range of movement and ended at the ankles.

Kurama very much appreciated the view it gave, since it actually _empathized_ his girlfriend's growing curves rather than hid them as most of her clothes did. He got a very nice view of her back side and he could actually see more of the bust that she generally hid because she felt they were too small.

Years of having to deal with the sniping of the other girls who all claimed she was too "boyish" to attract a guy on top of the general mocking had completely wrecked her self esteem as a female.

Being a shape shifter by nature, Kurama honestly didn't care how big they were. He could turn into a woman of any general shape and size, so to him she was just perfect. He preferred personality over appearance.

In reality Tsunami apparently took after her "great-grandmother", who was in reality her many times great cousin Daniela, the last and only female Donna of the Vongola familigia. Mammon only had to imagine Tsunami with the same ebony black hair rather than the caramel-colored one she was born with to see the strong resemblance.

She might be the Primo's descendant, but the Mist had no doubt that she took entirely after Daniela. Xanxus would probably enjoy meeting her, since the girl had started to develop a proper backbone and wasn't afraid to go for the killing shot...at least when demons were concerned anyway. She had yet to kill her first human.

Hiei was decidedly murderous when he saw the place his sister had been kept in. those talismans would cause _pain_ to demons, especially ice-elements like his sister.

He looked to the Mist.

"I will owe you one favor if you make that bastard's death _extra_ painful and agonizing."

Mammon thought the offer over, before looking at Kurama and an idea forming in their head. Quick calculations passed through their mind and a smirk appeared.

"I'll trade you one agonizingly slow and painful death in exchange for you and your group helping to liberate our Sky. That bastard has no right to keep him frozen in that damn basement and it's already been seven years since we lost him."

"And if we get caught, then it won't be tied back to you," said Kurama dryly.

"You catch on fast," said Mammon.

"Hang on... who has your Sky in their basement and why is he there in the first place and not 'iced' in the traditional sense?" asked Tsunami.

"His adopted father put him through a technique we were unaware of when he went to confront him and deal with a large number of rats in the familigia at the same time. Our attack failed and he was turned into an ice cube, much to the joy of Iemitsu. As for why he wasn't simply killed... our best guess is that Timoteo didn't want to lose any more sons, even if he was adopted and not a bastard like everyone was told."

"So basically we'd get a favor from your boss for getting him out and possibly unfreezing him _and_ piss off that idiots who put that Flame Seal on me. Hell, I'm in," said Tsunami flatly.

"What."

"According to Reikai records, the Ninth Vongola boss sealed me when I went Active at the age of five at the request of my genetic donor. I don't need to say there's absolutely no love lost between me and those idiots for making my childhood a living hell, now do I?" said Tsunami.

Mammon mentally upgraded her assessment that the boss 'might' like his cousin to a near certainty.

And if Tsunami was caught, then odds were they wouldn't kill her because she was one of the heirs and thus still valuable, if only to be married off. She could easily claim she wanted to get some payback for the seal.

"So we have an agreement?"

"We'll help you once we get Yukina settled in and make our way to Italy," agreed Tsunami. They shook on it.

Seeing the large stack of cash, Mammon smirked...in between taking most of it and letting Tsunami swipe the rest.

Hey, her boyfriend was a thief and she would be putting it to much better use than what this fat slob had.

And then they found Tarukane and his goons.

Mammon happily killed the humans, while Kurama and Tsunami removed Yukina from her own captors.

"Who... who are you?" she asked worriedly. It was hard to see Tsunami's face, considering half of it was covered by an orange veil that wasn't see-through.

"We're friends of your brother. He was very...unhappy...when he found out where you were being held against your will and he asked us to help get you back."

"You know my brother?" said Yukina hopeful.

Tsunami smiled and shared a look with Kurama. Hiei had _asked_ them to keep the fact Yukina was his sister secret from her... but he never thought to ask the same of _Nana_.

"You have the same eyes. I'm sure Mama would love to have another girl my age to spoil, and she already adores him like a son. Besides, he paid the illusionist to make sure that the fat pig who hurt you gets what he has coming to him," said Tsunami.

"Too bad we didn't bring Kyouya with our group. He might have enjoyed gutting the man."

"He's playing with the fake demon. He's having enough fun as it is," said Tsunami dryly.

Kyouya, when alerted what they were doing, had opted to go with the "distraction" group since he would rather be causing damage instead of sneaking around. Even if he _was_ good at it.

He was a very happy Cloud today. Takeshi and Ryohei were in Namimori keeping their civilians safe, so he knew things were well in hand.

And right now he was having a _lot_ of fun trying to kill Toguro. He was already pissed when he saw the small canary-looking demon in that far too small cage.

Tsunami wasn't surprised when she later saw that same weaker bird demon nesting on Hibari a few days later... he was vicious enough to be a demon in his own right, despite being human. Hibird seemed rather happy with his new arrangement, even if it meant being the 'pet' of a human.

"Kurama, do you have any healing salves for these burns?" asked Tsunami, handling Yukina's wounds gently.

He handed over some of his potions and salves along with the bandages. It was a good thing he had brought them, just in case.

"Um... can you teach me how to make these?" asked Yukina quietly. From the way the nice girl had spoken of her brother, it was implied she was more than welcome to properly meet him as she had been trying to do when she was captured. Being a gentle soul Yukina _hated_ hurting others, but she had a natural aptitude for healing...much like Chrome did.

She too, had asked Kurama for lessons the moment she learned he knew a very large and quite extensive variety of healing with plants and other home remedies.

"The idiot's dead, most of the cash I could find is under our possession and as far as the Black Book Club is concerned a 'Tora-Hime' has managed to secure the assistance of the current Spirit Detective in order to liberate his prized Koorime since her brother asked for a favor as her bodyguard," said Mammon.

"Mission success, let's grab the conquering heroes and get out of here. Coincidentally would the cash you just liberated cover lessons on how to use illusions? I have a girl who's good at the 'soft' application of Mist Flame but I have no idea who to ask that's actually competent."

"Considering you just netted me several million in yen, I could teach her how to use Mist Flames for a few weeks. Provided you acquire the 'item' we spoke of while I was teaching her," said Mammon.

"Deal," said Tsunami without hesitation.

* * *

Chrome was disheartened to learn she wouldn't be brought on another exciting adventure, but was reassured that once she was able to fight using illusions since her body was far too frail for physical combat (something that had Mammon sniffing... an illusionist should _never_ use physical violence when their ability to warp reality as a whim was far more dangerous in their opinion) she would join the next one. The fact Yukina would be staying behind as well helped.

Ryohei would keep an eye on the 'home front', mostly by making sure no one took a pot shot at Nana or I-Pin. Kuwabara had chosen to help the boxer, mostly because he wanted a better chance to try and woo the rather pretty Yukina.

He claimed "love at first sight". Hiei declared the teen a complete idiot...while discreetly informing the rest of the group that he had noticed his twin sister having a thing for Kyouya.

He fully blamed the fact Kyouya had a soft spot for small animals and had even rescued the bird demon from Tarukane as the source of that crush.

Kyouya, Takeshi, Yusuke and the two demons would infiltrate the Vongola basements. Tsunami was naturally included in this group...since if they were caught they would have to rely on the fact she was one of the Vongola heirs and Iemitsu's daughter to keep from being killed outright.

Mammon helped them to get to Italy by loaning them the same Varia jet that had brought them. With Belphegor using his ID it was unlikely anyone would ask stupid questions.

As it was, Lussuria and Squalo had been quietly alerted by the Mist about the deal they made and would be waiting on standby to help retrieve the ice block that contained their boss. They weren't Varia Quality for nothing, and to be honest Kurama was rather curious to see if any of his Makai plants could help heal the damage that was almost certain to exist from being _frozen_ for almost a decade.

Besides, Luss was all too happy to meet Tsunami the _second_ he heard that she didn't mind dressing up so long as she got to have a say about the outfit. The fact she was Iemitsu's only daughter was more or less ignored... five minutes with the girl had proven she was _nothing_ like her "genetic donor" as she would call him if questioned and was in fact more in line with the sadly now deceased Daniela Vongola, the previous head of the family.

Now they just needed to set a proper distraction in case they were noticed before they were able to reach Xanxus in the basement. It was better to sneak in and out, considering most had generally forgotten he was there, but you never knew.

(Hiei was designated as the distraction, as a green-skinned demon with multiple eyes and able to control people with his Jagan was attention getting enough and he was sneaky enough to be ignored before he was needed. He was also fast, so if he had to, he could reach the group within five minutes once he located them.)


	10. Chapter 10

Yusuke was much like an attack dog on the leash, ready to be set loose and do damage. Sure, he'd have to restrict his attacks to Flame-only since this was a bunch of _humans_ they were dealing with, but Genkai had pounded (literally, in most cases) a lot of real fighting skills which Fon had cheerfully added to with some martial arts that suited Yusuke's build and temperament. Add into to the more active style of meditation which had the side effect of putting said moves into muscle memory rather than make him sit around doing nothing, and he was a far more dangerous fighter than when he first met Tsunami.

The fact the skill set he learned was perfect for bodyguarding work and wouldn't exactly require a high school degree helped. Not that he wouldn't at least try to get one, if only to make Nana and his mother happy...and to keep his sister safe, since Tsunami _did_ want to at least graduate high school.

In short, Yusuke's future as a petty thug and thief had at least been diverted to something close to respectable and he was less likely to end up dead in a ditch for pissing the wrong person off when he was too old to receive a mere slap on the wrist.

Kurama was making himself useful by dosing anyone who came close to them with random concoctions that would slowly drive the victim into experiencing some rather amusing hallucinations for several hours, but he had dosed everyone with the antidote beforehand. As the experienced thief, he was doing most of the leading and keeping an eye out for trouble while keeping Hiei updated via some plants he had left the fire demon.

It was far less likely to be noticed compared to technology or Flame use.

Finding the appropriate door, he swiftly picked the lock and they went in.

"Wow... when they said he was an ice cube I didn't think they meant this," said Yusuke.

"What do you think? Can we get him out without being noticed, or should we just wait until we're almost caught and have Hiei cause a distraction?" asked Tsunami.

Kurama was the expert here... she was just the team leader if things went sour.

Kurama inspected the ice, which felt more like a spirit trap than anything.

"We might have a much easier time if the ice was a bit less bulky...but considering how bad security the security was getting in, we _might_ have enough time to melt some of it."

"And we left the only fire demon outside," sighed Tsunami.

"Considering this was likely done with Flames, you might have an easier time of it," said Kurama dryly.

"We'll keep watch outside for people," said Takeshi, taking point near the door with Kyouya. Yusuke joined them...if worst came to worse, then Takeshi, Yusuke and Tsunami would try lifting the damn thing while Kyouya and Kurama cleared the way in the front and back.

Tsunami concentrated with her Sky Flames, keeping it at a low burn to avoid detection. She carefully put her hand on the ice, and tried channeling her Flames into it to try and melt the thing.

Either the ice was unusually susceptible to Sky Flames, or it was weakened by Xanxus's Wrath Flames over the years...the ice began not to _melt_ , but started to crack.

A massive crack formed from the top and went straight down the center of the ice block. The thing began to hiss with a vengeance and they could feel the rage and pissed off aura of the man trapped inside.

With a semi-loud _boom_ , the two halves split apart and started to disintegrate once on the floor, rather than melt.

Xanxus, freed from his frozen prison, collapsed on the ground...or would have had Yusuke not caught him.

Kyouya and the others cautiously opened the door.

So far no one was running around yelling about the racket... then again this corridor had been relatively ignored by the patrols save as an afterthought.

They waited a few minutes, and still nothing.

"Kurama, can you shield us from being seen?"

"Possibly, but it won't hold for long. And not at all if anyone bumps into us," said Kurama.

He pulled out several useful Makai plants that caused mild hallucinations to anyone caught on the wrong side of them, and once again dosed everyone with the counter agent beforehand. Including Xanxus, as a precaution.

The group quietly made their way down the halls and were close to being outside before they were almost spotted.

Being so close to freedom and success, Kurama gave Hiei the go-ahead to cause a big ruckus using some human explosives they had liberated from Tarukane's mansion. Why he had them was anyone's guess, but considering they were planning to liberate someone else from imprisonment they had taken them regardless.

They were coming in very useful now, sending the Vongola panicking everywhere _but_ the area they were in and would leave no sign of demonic involvement whatsoever.

In other words, Hiei's parole (which had finally ended when he didn't kill Tarukane for his involvement with Yukina's imprisonment) was never in danger of being broken.

"Voi! What took you... how the hell did you get the Boss out of that ice?" demanded Squalo. Lussuria had easily liberated the still out-cold Xanxus from the arms of Tsunami and Yusuke who had carried him out.

"Apparently the ice he was in really didn't like Sky Flames," said Tsunami. She felt utterly drained and exhausted... but was grinning like a mad woman.

No wonder Kurama loved stealing so much. It was a total rush!

Kurama chuckled at his girlfriend's expression.

Hiei made it to the truck that the Varia had brought (assuming that they would be taking the ice with them, not simply liberate Xanxus and _then_ carry him out) and the group pulled out.

* * *

The first thing Xanxus saw when he properly woke up... was the ceiling of the Varia's Sun division. Which also doubled as their medical wing, since Suns were generally healers.

"Boss! You're awake!" said Luss, puttering about.

"How long?"

"Seven and a half years. We got lucky... Mammon found someone who could not only break into the basement you were in, but had a Sky Flame strong enough to dissolve the ice holding you," said Luss.

"What?"

"Fon sent a recommendation to his nephew's Sky, who needed someone to deal with the 'human' element since most of their team would be too busy acting as distraction and the other two who could were on 'parole' and thus ineligible. And they didn't want _her_ doing it... Anyway at some point during that mission Mammon struck a deal to provide lessons for the girl's Mist in exchange for getting you out of the basement...we never thought they'd be able to get you out of the ice _and_ out of there without being noticed!" explained Luss.

"...What sort of mafia woman has people banned from killing simply because they're on parole?"

"The kind with _demons_ already on watch from the afterlife in their group," said a cultured, young voice with a chuckle. Xanxus turned... only to find a very recognizable face.

He might not deal with demons, since they generally stuck to Japan, but he recognized some of the bigger movers and players. And Youko Kurama was among those.

He handed Luss some more salves and remedies made from Makai plants...apparently Xanxus had some demon in his ancestry, because he had yet to have a bad reaction to some of the more volatile remedies.

"My Sky wisely left most of the thievery to me. Her only job was liberating you from the ice itself," said Kurama with a chuckle.

Xanxus looked at the fox thief, then at his Sun.

"You're telling me that miser baby went and found a Sky who has actual _demons_ on their payroll that are actually _competent_?" he said incredulous. Though there was definite respect in his tone...anyone Youko Kurama, who was notorious for being a solo thief, calling them _his_ Sky had to be worthy of some real respect.

"Oh it gets even better," said Luss darkly. "This Sky is Iemitsu's _daughter_. And her first reaction when you bring him up is to immediately and pointedly claim no relation to her genetic donor. Part of the reason she agreed to help get you out was to piss him off for not being around."

Xanxus stared at his Sun... then a slow rumble that turned into a deep laugh erupted from him.

The trash's daughter was a Sky and not only had demons on her side, but openly denied any relationship with that braying jackass? She might actually be worth knowing.

"I've also heard Mammon making several comparisons to someone called 'Daniela' repeatedly. They were most impressed with the fact Tsunami has been making waves on her own via money, rather than the usual methods. Though she might end up being one of the bigger players after what we just pulled on that idiot who had Hiei's sister hostage," said Kurama.

"I want to fucking meet this girl," said Xanxus with appreciation.

Within an hour, a girl who could have passed for the Vongola Primo (as a girl) with large amber-eyes and streaked caramel and black colored hair (giving her something of a tiger-look, which he liked even more) and an outfit that had all the hallmarks of Luss having a go at her wardrobe (he knew the Sun's general fashion tastes by this point) walked in with a calm gaze. It made the comparison to his Nonna (Timoteo would never be his father, but he had been genuinely fond of Daniela) quite strong, for all that she looked like the Primo as a girl.

Even without speaking, he liked her immediately.

"So you're the one who got me out of that basement."

"I had every reason to help Mammon, and no real love for either Iemitsu or Vongola Nono. Besides, Kurama has been itching for a real heist since he finally managed to get his original form back," said Tsunami evenly. "Not to mention I'm starting to see why my dear boyfriend loves to steal things so much, even if he refrains from pickpocketing because he finds it a bit too 'easy' and 'low-class' for his skills."

Xanxus eyed the fox, who shifted into a much more human-looking male with long red hair and vibrant leaf-green eyes about her age.

"At least you have good taste," he commented. While it was _unusual_ to marry a demon, it wasn't unheard of and the mafia wasn't likely to get picky so long as the progeny still _looked_ human enough to pass initial inspection.

And Kurama was high-class enough that she might avoid being married off by that idiot Iemitsu to better the family and insure that their kids would be sufficiently dangerous enough to survive the cutthroat world of the Cosa Nostra.

Tsunami sat down and made it easier for Xanxus to look her in the face. It didn't take much to coax her into talking about how she initially got involved with the underworld and later demons, and he definitely approved of her growing set of Guardians.

The Lightning was a brash, but very loyal and strong kid who wouldn't hesitate to fight dirty to protect her. Her Rain was a natural assassin of good lineage and an aptitude for swords (he had been playing with a very happy Squalo when the shark found out Xanxus was awake and the two stopped for a bit). Her Cloud was already damn impressive and if he hadn't already been snagged by her he might have made a play for the kid himself...the kid was fucking Quality already with an appropriate vicious streak and a very impressive blood tie to the Storm Arcobaleno.

The Sun was still guarding the civilians and the potential Mist Tsunami had found. Chrome was very loyal and according to Mammon would make a fine Guardian once she was trained up a bit.

In short Xanxus could openly claim he liked Tsunami a hell of a lot more than he did Iemitsu, because the girl had common sense and a vicious streak he could appreciate. As such the two agreed to keep in touch.

Specifically, Xanxus agreed to give her a head's up in case Iemitsu suddenly remembered his progeny and tried to marry her off to an allied Family simply because she was a girl and therefor expendable. Just as she would give him immediate warning if Nono decided to skip Xanxus entirely despite the fact he had her sealed as a child and tried to make _her_ heir.

Depending on how things went, Tsunami would be more than happy to formally abdicate her status in favor of Xanxus since she really didn't want to deal with the headaches and nonsense that the Ninth Generation had almost certainly left behind.

And if that wasn't possible, then at least they could come to an agreement without having to fight over the rings like squabbling children with the Varia getting a much better deal than they had currently because the Ninth was an idiot of the highest order.

Though not before Hiei gleefully dragged Squalo into a sparring match with swords before they toured Italy for a bit, since they had far less trouble than anticipated and thus had a few days to kill before their plane ride home.

The shark was grinning in a very bloodthirsty way having someone as fast and skilled as Hiei to play with, and the two decided to make their fights a regular thing with Takeshi thrown in the midst.

It kept their skills sharp and it meant that they had someone who was actually worth fighting to play with, which made all three of them happy.

And if Tsunami happened to give Xanxus the tentative position of "big brother", rather than cousin because she genuinely liked him and was furious that the Ninth hadn't had the balls to explain to him that he wasn't actually his bastard son... well, the Varia Sky didn't mind calling her little sister in private. Tsunami was _very_ likable and open-minded about people's past.

After all, she had practically adopted Yusuke as family _despite_ the fact his mother was less than reputable and his own reputation had declared him a complete delinquent with no redeeming qualities!

* * *

 _In Japan..._

"So let me get this straight... because Tora-Hime was the one to lead the Spirit Detective's group in a raid on Tarukane's mansion, she's being 'invited' as a potential new member of the Black Book Club and we're being forced to fight in the Dark Tournament?" said Yusuke a week after they got back from Italy. He had some new weapons courtesy of the Varia and most of them quite illegal to own...like the small push daggers and brass knuckles. Some were even restricted in the pit fights he used to favor so much!

Considering he was Tsunami's Lightning Guardian until proven otherwise, the Varia was more than happy to make him a much more dirty fighter since it meant keeping the girl that their Sky favored alive.

There was no such thing as honor in a real life-or-death fight, and sometimes even dirty tricks meant the difference between life and death.

"So you were invited as well," said Kurama with distaste.

"All in favor of going and then robbing these bastards blind when they underestimate us?" asked Tsunami.

Yusuke and the others grinned. Tsunami rather enjoyed gambling, if she thought it was worth the effort. She wasn't a compulsive gambler, but if she was betting anything of her fortune then she damn well planned to win. She knew when to cut her loses.

"Who are you calling?" asked Yusuke, seeing Tsunami already on the phone.

"Mammon. I bet you anything they'd be more than happy to help place large bets to clean house on these idiots for a good cut," said Tsunami. "And it would give Xanxus-nii a chance to cut loose and shake the rust off without being bored by human opponents."

Yusuke snickered.

The second Mammon heard they were invited to the Dark Tournament and that Tsunami was offering to let them join in on her group to clean house, the Mist had _jumped_ at the chance. Large sums of cash were the norm in these betting rings and these idiots would be underestimating the guest team severely because they were unknowns. A dark horse with a good shot of making a large sum of money, as it were.

It also meant they could discreetly reveal that Xanxus was back and still as dangerous as ever, while making it clear he was a firm ally of the mysterious newcomer.

The Varia were quite feared and very well known in the underworld, so having their backing was a major deal.


	11. Chapter 11

The hotel was opulent...and quite tacky in her personal opinion. However she wasn't paying for it as the 'owner' of the "guest team" (read: sacrificial idiots who pissed off the sponsors) so she would reserve judgment.

As they weren't expected to last the full tournament, the room, food and medical supplies were all provided free of charge.

If she could prove she had a head on her shoulders and was able to trick the idiots out of most of their cash (the Black Book Club, as proven by Tarukane before he was robbed and subsequently killed) was rather noteworthy in that they were unafraid to bet literally _all_ of their money on a single fight.

And while she had yet to reach that level of "financial security" (or as she put it, rich to the point of absolute stupidity) she could still make an impression.

Luss had been beside himself with the opportunity to have a willing dress up doll that was expected to one-up the stuffy fools that made up the sponsors. The fact they wouldn't be expecting her to be a fighter in her own right, since she still looked like a fluffy kitten compared to say, Xanxus, meant that he had a lot of fun with her outfits.

Fon had gotten in on it by providing some real weapons in place of the training ones she had been using until this point. It was a well forged pair of tessen that had a delicately etched tiger on both sides of the battle fans as well as some 'fluff' that could be easily removed to hide the sharp edges that was decorated in tiger stripes.

If they survived this, Tsunami was _soooo_ buying a tiger cub for her and Xanxus. He'd probably love having such a dangerous pet and she would certainly be able to afford owning one.

"How was the boat ride?" asked Tsunami, once she gave Kurama a firm kiss on the cheek.

"Dull, to say the least. Apparently it's tradition to throw the guest team at a bunch of hopeful lower class demons just to spice things up, with the survivors allowed to go into the real tournament," said Kurama.

A good way to weed out the guest team early to avoid being bored and give the demons incentive to take the boat rather than the other channels, if only to get into the main tournament. The lower class ones anyway... if they had any real power they would already be on a team with an official sponsor.

"How was the ride here?"

"Amusing. Auntie Atsuko and Mama are quite eager to see everyone fight, especially Auntie."

Tsunami had come clean after the Saint Beast incident when she found out Nana had some spiritual awareness. At least enough to see the insects. Nana had understood and had immediately told Yusuke and the others that she trusted them with her daughter's life even before she was at least told the truth about what they were doing. The fact Yusuke was acting as an official "detective" for the afterlife made it a bit easier for Nana to take, especially after meeting Botan.

Atsuko only found out because she was in the house when Tsunami came clean...she had laughed herself sick the day she found out Tsunami was in fact a hidden mafia heiress, and that she had befriended Yusuke long before she stumbled across said fact.

At least Yusuke's behavior wouldn't be too out of place and he was part of a group that inspired real loyalty, not the half-assed one the lower yakuza had. Considering her own connections to the yakuza, she wasn't about to complain that her son had joined up with a mafioso...even if it meant he'd have to learn how to speak Italian as a consequence.

She mostly came to see her son fight...and for the free booze. Tsunami wasn't interested in it, and with Xanxus coming that meant she had a decent drinking partner for the fights.

It was rather interesting introducing Auntie Atsuko to Xanxus. The two of them had clicked in a rather strange way, and it really didn't help that Atsuko treated the red-eyed man as a second son without a second thought.

(Tsunami later found out that Atsuko greatly reminded Xanxus of his own mother, who had been a prostitute in the Italian slums. They had never been rich, and she had her really bad days when she slipped, but she had still loved her son deeply. He could never quite hate her for giving him up to the lying bastard, since even he had known as a kid her time was starting to become limited and he'd have been left on his own to be picked up by one of the less reputable familigias otherwise. He seemed to treat Atsuko as a discreet extension of his own mother, which she seemed to sense.)

"And why exactly is Kyouya carrying Yusuke?"

"The idiot over did it in training, and was out cold the entire time," said Hiei.

Yusuke had gone to Genkai for remedial training, which was more fine-tuning her technique since he still hadn't quite figured it out yet. Though it could have been a lot worse if the slacker hadn't had to compete with Tsunami's own training. She had improved in leaps and bounds with proper encouragement and training, to the point she could have easily taken Yusuke on when he first became Spirit Detective.

He was a lot closer to being able to handle the spirit orb that made up the majority of Genkai's technique.

Tsunami didn't ask who the masked figure was, as she recognized Genkai's Flame immediately. If Genkai wanted to be discreet, then she probably had her reasons.

It was after their unexpected visitor that the old woman properly revealed herself, thus earning the instant admiration and respect from Xanxus and the rest of the Varia.

"I came to this ridiculous tournament because I was told in no uncertain terms by an old...friend... of mine that they weren't giving me a choice. Odds are I'll end up dead before the end of it, which is why I already went over my will with Koenma and have been using my time constructively writing these. They're yours to do with what you will, and at least this way I know the knowledge won't be lost to some idiot like that fool Rando," said Genkai, handing over several hand-written books filled with all the techniques she could properly remember...including her spirit wave.

Like Yusuke she had started to learn how to use Genkai's signature technique, however Yusuke would be the one to inherit Genkai's spirit orb as he was her apprentice.

"Thank you, obaa-san," said Tsunami.

"I'm getting too old for this crap. At least I can honestly say I made damn sure the next generation has a fighting chance and that my legacy isn't in the hands of someone who'd only drag my name in the mud. Even if my apprentice is a complete dimwit," said Genkai.

Xanxus grinned at the old woman. She had the same fire his Nonna had when she was still alive.

"I like her," he said without hesitation.

* * *

Koenma was a bit of a slacker himself, so seeing him at the tournament wasn't too surprising. What was surprising was the fact he handed over a very large sum of cash for Tsunami to bet on "Team Tora" as they were calling it.

Apparently he wasn't above making money off his detectives, especially since he was essentially skiving off his paperwork.

"I do have something for you, since you are at least _trying_ to keep the two worlds separate and follow the laws," he said, pacifier still in his mouth. He looked ridiculous, but they weren't going to call him on it for now.

"What is that?"

"This is a spirit egg. I have Yusuke's since it's almost ready to hatch, but I'm sure no one will really notice a second one missing. They aren't used much and I figure you'd be able to put this one to better use."

"Uh-huh. What's the real reason?"

"Do you have any idea how useful it would be to have someone with strong mafia connections that can help us keep the darker human elements from dragging demons into it? Your assistance alone kept the Tarukane situation from getting worse, to say nothing of the fact you helped keep more people from being killed by the Saint Beast incident! Having someone who can act in the underworld for us and keep track of the illegal trade would be worth cultivating, especially since you're making sure the current Spirit Detective stays alive _and_ deals with the missions efficiently!" said Koenma.

The Saint Beast incident had been bad, but thanks to Tsunami and Kyouya it hadn't gotten any worse. A few people died, but not as many as there could have been.

Getting on her good side seemed like an excellent way to reduce at least some of his paperwork and gave him someone to send in whenever the underworld or Cosa Nostra was involved.

He was not an idiot, even if he did slack off on his paperwork whenever he could get away with it.

Tsunami took the egg, which immediately began to warm in her hand.

"So how long does it take to hatch?"

"It depends. Once that's fully bonded to you it will remain your partner for life, much like the animal partners of the Arcobaleno. Normally I'd warn about how an evil heart would hatch a terrible monster, but I highly doubt that will happen with you. You're one of the kindest people alive and you don't discriminate at all."

Of course Yusuke and the others noticed the addition of the egg the second she came back from the odd bazaar that was set up during the tournament.

"Is that a spirit egg? Where did you even get one of those?" said Yusuke, recognizing it immediately.

"Koenma gave it to me as a bribe of sorts. That and a large amount of cash to bet on the team in his behalf since he technically isn't allowed to by his father. Apparently he wants to use our little group as a way to keep the human aspect of the Underworld from pulling another stunt like the Black Book Club is doing by bringing in demons. He can't really send his own men since it involves the living, but..."

"But you're technically already part of the Cosa Nostra because of your idiot genetic donor, and you already have a team capable of handling it with the right tools or information. Thus making you a valuable asset to cultivate," said Mammon with approval.

"And since Yusuke is part of my team already, it means he already has back-up in place for official missions and we can help keep the collateral damage to a minimum. Though if this gets made official I am going to force that brat to pay us," said Tsunami.

Mammon was grinning openly.

"I knew there was a reason I liked you," they commented.

"So what's in the egg?" asked Kurama.

"No idea, the spirit beast apparently takes after it's owner. If they have an evil heart then when it hatches it'll eat the one who it was bonded to. But if they're a good person then it becomes a familiar, I think," said Yusuke. "I gave mine up after that incident at our old house when some asshole threw a Molotov through the window and Tsunami went in to get me."

"So that was you. Fon did mention seeing a teen who looked a lot like you hovering around the house that day," said Tsunami. "Coincidentally Koenma said he brought yours as well...it's almost ready to hatch."

"Wait, what? I thought I lost that thing!"

"No, you just used up all the energy already stored _inside_ it. Apparently it went back to the spirit world and he's been keeping it for you until it was about ready to hatch just in case since you came back. According to him the creature inside this is pretty much like the animal partners of the Arcobaleno...they'll stay with you for life," said Tsunami.

That had Mammon petting their frog/snake Fantasma thoughtfully.

It seemed that they had been lucky Tsunami didn't mind being cultivated as a valuable ally provided she got something out of it in return.

Clearly she had inherited the brains out of Iemitsu's side of the family... none of the current generation were worth noting at _all_ , and Timoteo was a total disgrace once he took the reigns from his mother.

It would be an absolute waste if Tsunami were to be married off to better the family. She was far more valuable as she was now.

Mammon took a thoughtful turn...perhaps introducing her to the other familigias who could go against the Vongola and not be cowed would work. She knew the Gesso familigia had an heir who was about Tsunami's age that was unattached.

If for no other reason than to expand Tsunami's already growing network and earn favors.

On an unrelated note, by the end of the first match Tsunami had not only wiped out one of the 'sponsors' completely out of the running and the majority of his bank account now in hers, but Atsuko had found a new drinking buddy/potential boyfriend.

It turned out that the guy Yusuke had fought was just her type and more than interested in possibly dating. The fact she got along with the adorable Rinku (who was practically snatched up by an amused Nana who proceeded to mother the boy, much to his blushing and Tsunami's open amusement) helped a lot.

Yusuke honestly did not care who his mother dated, provided he wasn't some abusive asshole and actually cared about her more than Iemitsu ever had Nana before the divorce. Not exactly high standards, but considering his upbringing it was understandable.

Either way, Tsunami had proven herself to be a force to be feared, and that was before the fact that Xanxus always _escorted_ her to the top box where the ridiculously rich and bored sponsors of the tournament were lounging around making massive bets.

Having him there on her side had improved her reputation greatly. The fact he seemed to treat her like a little sister didn't hurt either.

Best of all it would take some time for the news he was out and about to reach Nono. The fact he was in a demon-heavy area would take much longer... the Vongola Don almost never dabbled with that aspect, though his mother had had a few demonic lovers before her death.

It wasn't exactly against the laws of the Vindice to deal with demons or take one into your bed, but it was heavily frowned upon. Not enough to get banned from Mafia Land, but still frowned upon.

In short, Xanxus was having a lot of fun, drinking some quality booze and being an absolute menace to a bunch of inhuman monsters while garnering their respect as a superior human.

He was so glad that Iemitsu's daughter was _nothing_ like him and had been thoughtful enough to invite the Varia for an impromptu vacation of sorts.

God knows they desperately needed one.


	12. Chapter 12

"Pfft..." started Tsunami, before she started howling.

Yusuke's "spirit beast" if it could be called that, looked more like a stuffed animal she would own. It was decidedly adorable and constantly went "Puu!" in a very cute way.

It was absolutely nothing like the rough and grumpy teen that had hatched it.

Tsunami wasn't the only one laughing their ass off at Puu, as it was officially called. The only one not mocking the teen was Genkai, though Tsunami could tell she was laughing inside.

"It's not funny dammit!"

"You're right... it's _hilarious_ ," said Tsunami with a straight face, before she looked at Puu again and lost it once more.

Finally Mammon took pity on the teen.

"Fantasma wasn't always this size you know. It's possible that using up the energy to save Tsunami caused it's full growth to be delayed upon hatching. It could change shape and become bigger once it's managed to get past it's growth spurt. Or if Yusuke's power properly matures," said Mammon, petting their frog thoughtfully.

Yusuke wanted to kiss the midget for that.

"Wait... Yusuke's power isn't mature yet?"

"None of your team has fully matured Flames, much less spiritual abilities. Full maturity only settled sometime around the mid-twenties range. The fact you're this strong so young means you're going to be absolutely terrifying when you're older," said Mammon flatly. "Coincidentally you might want to go looking around the ward where the weaker demons have taken up residence. I could have sworn I saw Verde wandering around trying to get samples yesterday."

"Which one is Verde again?"

"The Lightning, also known as the 'second coming of Da Vinci'. Has an alligator named Kaimen, green hair and eyes. Has some very loose morals, especially when it comes to scientific discovery and improvement," said Mammon without hesitation, holding out a hand. Tsunami dumped a stack of cash into their hand without batting an eye.

"So he might be open to the idea of working for me under a loose contract basis if it meant funding within reason and the possibility of looting dead demons," deadpanned Tsunami.

"If you word it right, he might be willing to work as your personal R and D," said Mammon. "He's between familigias at the moment, so it's possible."

"You said the lower wards where the weaker demons were staying, right?"

Mammon nodded.

"I'll go check in the morning. Right now we have a sacred duty to mock Yusuke for the next few hours about the fact his spirit beast looks like a blueish stuffed animal that wouldn't look out of place in Keiko's bedroom," said Tsunami grinning.

"HEY!"

It didn't stop them from needling Yusuke for hours until the joking got just a little bit hurtful, by which time most of them were ready to sleep anyway.

The fact they were equally quick to tease Tsunami, since she had been given an egg as well and thus would hatch her own 'stuffed animal' helped to sooth most of Yusuke's irritation about the matter.

To be fair, he would have done the exact same damn thing if given a chance.

* * *

Verde looked at the girl with the tiger-striped hair.

"Let me get this straight. You want me to work for you on a loose-contract basis as your head developer. What exactly makes you think I'd be interested, woman?" demanded Verde crossly. She had interrupted some valuable specimen gathering.

"One, my Lightning is the current spirit detective and thus has a great deal of opportunity in helping you gather demon parts to play with. Two, my boyfriend is Youko Kurama and thus can get his hands on a great deal of illegal items and Makai plants that are nearly impossible to grow here in the human world. Three, I have connections to the Vongola, though they haven't bothered to remember I exist yet and am highly favored by the Varia and their Sky. Four, I could care less what you work on and can easily pay you, possibly even letting you have this entire island for your own personal lab once this is over. Five, the contract is loose because the only thing I would require is the agreement you not betray us while you're working for me."

Verde blinked. Five well reasoned arguments why he should at least consider it, some of them highly appealing to his scientific personality.

"What of the Spirit World? I've had them complain to me before about my experiments."

"Koenma needs me to deal with the idiots who bring the lower class demons and create paperwork for me. So long as the experiments are within reason, I can probably get him to look the other way. And if we don't win this tournament, then you won't have to worry about it. We can come up with a contract once it's over," said Tsunami sensibly.

Verde pushed his glasses up. The female was a Sky and at least kept her Flames to herself. But...she was appealing to him as a scientist, offering him something that would make his experiments and own personal projects a bit easier. She was even offering him a contract that was rather loose and allowed him an out without making him fight with lawyers which he hated. All she wanted was the agreement that he not betray her or her budding familigia while he was working for them.

A perfectly reasonable request.

Then he saw the object in her possession.

"Is that a spirit beast egg?" he asked intently.

"Yes. According to Koenma they work similar to the animal familiars of the Arcobaleno like your alligator or Viper's frog."

"I'll agree to join your group so long as I can get my hands on one of those eggs, unhatched. Though having a hatched version would work as well."

"We have both, and I'm sure Yusuke won't mind you examining Puu so long as you don't hurt him."

The two shook on it and Verde joined her in the private box. The fact that Viper was also there and was conversing rather amicably with the girl said volumes about her character.

He settled in to enjoy the fights, and found himself relaxing next to Kaimen.

He wouldn't mind working for the girl if she was this easy to be around.

Watching the boys managed to secure another victory made it easier. They were all far better trained than they would have been had they not met Tsunami. Yusuke in particularly was a bit of a slacker and not inclined to work without a damn good reason... knowing he was the "tank" that would protect his little sister from harm while dealing out some major damage was motivation enough.

Kyouya was just happy for an excuse to beat the living hell out of some self-entitled demons without having to worry about anyone stopping him from a murderous blow. He rarely had any challenges in Namimori and he was having to actually _work_ for once.

The terrifying grin on his face was testament enough to the good mood he was in. The fact that the demons around him all treated him as an equal or a superior helped a lot too.

And not a single person commented on the little bird demon he had taken 'under his wing' so to speak. Hibird adored his new master.

* * *

 _Some time later..._

Tsunami was coming back from the bazaar (she kept finding a lot of fascinating things to buy, especially clothes which Luss was more than happy to coordinate with her boyfriend's coloring!) when she heard someone swearing rather profusely about annoying demons and idiots. In fluent Italian. When most of the people here spoke Japanese or English as a rule.

The fact the voice sounded about her age didn't help either.

Curiosity peaked, she went to look for the source...and found a silver-haired boy with green eyes almost as bright and just as intelligent as Kurama's human form arguing with a pair of security demons.

Both of which were far too snide and all too happy to ban him from the more well-to-do section despite his pass.

Seeing him about to blow his top, Tsunami interceded. If only to find out why a mafioso was here in a demon tournament, especially one so young.

"Is there a problem here?" she asked in a cultured tone that Mammon was more than happy to teach her. Mammon was very good at teaching the little things that most "well off" children learned from early childhood to make it appear as if "Tora-Hime" had been born to a very high class family and was mostly gambling her personal fortune out of boredom and to further her own contacts.

The fact she _should_ have learned the little things had Iemitsu not gone the civilian route and left her in the middle class was a small point. Fortunately Tsunami was a very quick learner since the seal came off and picked up most of it. It was almost instinct to her by now when she was acting as Tora-hime.

Seeing the guards straighten up (she was clearly one of the high rollers and thus had to be obeyed or else) the boy turned to find who had spoken only to stop short.

"This pathetic human is demanding to be let into the respectable section, _miss_ ," hissed the reptile-like demon in the guard uniform.

Tsunami was glad she wore the more gauzy veil because it allowed her smirk to be seen.

"Then it won't matter as much if he's _escorted_ in by someone who holds one of the VIP boxes, now will it?" she said smoothly.

Seeing the demons flinch at her tone, she calmly took the boy's arm and lead him _past_ the demons. Once they were out of earshot, he breathed a sigh of relief.

"Thanks."

" _They're just idiot demons trying to exercise their limited power over the humans,"_ she replied in Italian. _"Though if you had created a fuss it would have taken you_ hours _before the higher ups bothered to let you in and then they would have done the same thing later anyway."_

He blinked at his native tongue before relaxing.

" _I know. Stupid idiot inventor...why he didn't simply demand the demons pick up some more suckers for him to snack on I'll never get. The bastards seem to enjoy making it a pain in the ass to get back in, even with clearance!"_

" _An inventor? I might know someone who would be interested to meet him. What is he doing here though?"_

 _"Some higher up wants to build a portal or something and hired him to make it. I wasn't about to ask... I was just glad for the job since all the other ones didn't pay nearly as well and it was an easy one,"_ said the boy. _"My name is Hayato. Gokudera Hayato."_

"Tsunami. I would have a surname, except my mother divorced her mafioso husband for being a complete idiot and lying to her for far too long," she said, holding out her hand, switching back to Japanese.

"I know the feeling. God knows I wish my mother had the sense to do the same before the accident. Where are we going?"

"Considering there is a round of matches going on, you're unlikely to get past any more guards and I won't have clearance to wherever you're supposed to be delivering the candy to. Which means you can just act as my escort until the last round is over, which is when the security would actually get around to letting you through anyway."

Hayato thought that one over and realized she had a valid point.

"Besides, I have a good feeling about you. You remind me of my adopted brother and Lightning. He's a bit rough around the edges but he has a very good heart and is very loyal once you've earned it. Something tells me you're as much a diamond in the rough as he was."

The second Hayato saw the Varia Sky in the same room who treated his rescuer with actual warmth, his jaw dropped. Then he found out who Tsunami _was_ and just knew he had found the one person he could follow for life, if she let him.

It didn't hurt his chances that Tsunami had yet to find a proper Storm Guardian, who typically acted as the Right Hand and that he had a good head for high level math. Offering to help her balance her accounts so they were less of a mess (they were barely acceptable by Mammon's standards, and that was before Hayato got through with them) didn't hurt either.

Besides, watching Hayato get into petty arguments with Takeshi over nothing was hilarious.

The sugar-addicted inventor Hayato was supposed to bring the sweets to had taken one look at Verde...before immediately dissolving into scientific and engineering babble that Tsunami only understood a word in three about. Hayato was rolling his eyes, as it was clear he understood _most_ of the talk, but barely cared about it. He was instinctively standing behind Tsunami and to the right of her.

It was pretty clear he was being hit with Sky Attraction hard... the fact she had an opening didn't help.

He really reminded her of Yusuke with his attitude, before he realized that she wasn't going to abandon him and would reciprocate his natural loyalty to those who actually deserved it.

Most people considered him an attack dog of sorts (and he wouldn't deny it), but he was also among the first to jump in if he thought his friends and family were in danger. And he'd never consider betraying them...he'd sooner die first.

Hayato was just as desperate, and it came with the added knowledge that if he didn't find a decent familigia to attach himself to, he was likely to end up very dead before he was twenty. Considering his main weapon was to throw bombs at the enemy, that risk factor shot up considerably.

Tsunami looked at Hayato and she didn't see some cocky half-trained hit man who would likely end up dead through his inability to take his own safety seriously.

She saw a kicked puppy, one that was desperate to have a home and would do anything to get it. But not if it meant destroying his honor. He would have it with his dignity intact or not at all.

Introducing him to Yusuke had only reinforced that image...the two got along terrifyingly well, instinctively recognizing each other as the same.

Except Yusuke had found his Sky and had embraced the role of a Lightning with fervor. Hayato was still drifting.

Though from the looks of it, he might very well end up caught by the end of the tournament. He certainly had no complaints if that was true.


	13. Chapter 13

**Okay, someone complained I was unfairly bashing Kuwabara or deliberately cutting him out.**

 **I would like to clear that up right now. Kuwabara was given the option of becoming Flame Active, but decided he would rather act as the discreet bodyguard for Tsunami's "Civilians" rather than join in the fray directly. He'll still show up when needed during a crisis, but he has no interest in becoming a mafioso or a yakuza and is thus kept out of it. It's not that I dislike his character, I just prefer having Kyouya take his place since he would join in regardless just for some decent opponents.**

 **I see Kuwabara as a psychic version of Ryohei, complete with sword.**

* * *

"I am really, really tempted to ask Kurama to steal that cloak thing he just used," said Tsunami.

"You're drooling," noted Mammon.

"Have you seen my boyfriend's original form?" she countered.

"...Point made. Think he'll mind if I take a few pictures of him to sell to the fans?"

"Make it clear he has a girlfriend and I get a cut of the profits. I'm going to have enough headaches cleaning up the spoils so I can still go to Mafia Land," said Tsunami.

Her prize was going to be all the assets and businesses of the losers, since she had absolutely no doubt her boys would win. Which meant she was going to have to do some spring cleaning if she still wanted to go to Mafia Land later.

As it was, she was so keeping the Dark Tournament. She was sure there were plenty of mafia familigias and yakuza who'd love to pay in order to fight demons and prove themselves stronger.

"I sense a large money-making plan. I want in," said Mammon.

"I was just wondering...how much do you think the mafia, Triads and yakuza idiots would pay to fight the lower ranked demons? We could still host the original tournament, but we could open up a second one and made the weaker familigias pay to send their best in order to prove themselves against D rank and lower demons, with the prize being major prestige in the underworld."

"...Devious. I like it," said Mammon smirking.

"And let's not forget seating, recordings of the fights in question, pictures of the popular and better looking demons and fighters..." listed Tsunami, eyes gleaming.

"What would be the restrictions?"

"No humans allowed in the regular tournament as fighters unless they're at least the same level as Yusuke-nii. Or have the flame strength of an Arcobaleno," said Tsunami. "Otherwise it just doesn't give you a good showing at all. Also, the same rules of Mafia Land apply. I'd bet they'd pay a premium for live feeds during the tournament."

Mammon was openly smirking.

"They _would_. And let's not forget the little bazaar that started up. We could charge fees for that as well," said Mammon.

"And naturally it would help fund Verde's research and everything else, which would could then sell during and after the tournament for higher prices, since they get first crack at them before the big boys do," mused Tsunami.

Verde perked up at that, having heard his name and tuned them out.

"You'd let me sell my devices? Openly?"

"They're your inventions, I just ask that you keep the good stuff for us first. I won't begrudge you a chance to make a little extra cash to fund your research. I know how expensive that sort of thing can be."

"You know at this rate you're going to be considered a neutral famiglia on par with the Gesso and the Giglio Nero families," said Mammon dryly.

"Imagine the shock the Vongola and the Alliance would have if they knew who I was, once I set up my power base," said Tsunami dryly. Xanxus snorted. That was going to be _hilarious_ , since Iemitsu still believed his innocent daughter was a civilian.

"Can I watch once they find out who you are?" asked Xanxus seriously.

"I'll do you one better. You can hold the cameras when they find out who Tora-Hime is," said Tsunami. The Wrath grinned fiercely with a cold smirk.

He was going to thoroughly enjoy that.

"And the best part is that Vongola Nono can't claim I was trying to interfere with their precious inheritance, since I never once introduced myself as an heir!" said Tsunami grinning.

Xanxus let out a bark of laughter at that.

Timoteo couldn't argue that she was trying to usurp the current contender for heir, because Tsunami never used the Vongola name _once_ to get anything done. She did it all under her own power, or she found a way to use her skills to her advantage. If she wanted to be Vongola Decima, she could have easily presented herself to one of the allied famiglias and waited for the Vongola to make a move.

With how strong her Sky was, on top of being able to work with high powered demons, the old bastard would have had to either fold or explain why she was ineligible. Sure, her Sky was missing a few guardians but that was a minor issue.

"Still though... after seeing Kurama in his original form, completely unbound like that... I seriously want to hug his tail."

"I'm sure that's not the only thing you'd like to 'hug'," said Xanxus.

Tsunami blushed a bright red that completely covered her face.

"Shut up!"

Xanxus blinked, looked at her hard, before he started howling.

"You mean you two haven't even...?"

Tsunami threw a beer at him. He caught it and opened it with a wink and a loud guffaw.

"Envious virgin," he shot at her.

"Old icicle," she shot back, still blushing. Xanxus twitched at the unsubtle reminder.

Kurama and the others walked into Tsunami and Xanxus shooting insults back and forth like they were brother and sister.

"What did we miss?" asked Kurama.

"Xanxus found out you two haven't gone past third base, and started an insult war. On an unrelated note, Tsunami is a delightful source of inspiration when it comes to making large sums of money off idiots," said Mammon.

Kurama would have blushed...except he wasn't a teenager. He was waiting for Tsunami to be ready for that sort of thing before he even brought it up.

"Do I want to know?"

"She's keeping the Dark Tournament, but she's planning to open up a second one where Mafioso can test their skills against the trash demons," said Verde.

Meaning D rank and lower, which were so pathetic even Chrome could beat them with her limited spirit powers. Her power laid in her Flame strength, not her spiritual ability.

"Ah. On an unrelated note, it seems Kyouya has finally noticed that Yukina likes him."

Tsunami stopped her sniping cold and began to cackle.

"It's about time! The ice girl would be good for him!"

Hiei liked Kyouya. Yukina had developed a crush because he reminded her of a wild, untamed tiger who was gentle with small animals. Kyouya was mildly interested because Yukina got along very well with Hibird and because she didn't look upset when he got into his little play spats with Hiei.

She merely sighed in exasperation before she went about patching them up without a word of complaint. After all, she could see how happy fighting made the two, and she was a demon.

"That reminds me...how's Chrome's training going?" asked Tsunami.

"She is a delightful apprentice. Though she has a rather odd taste in weaponry," said Mammon. "I would recommend getting another for your Mist Guardian though... she still needs time and a proper confidence booster before she could handle that role."

"So basically I found my permanent secretary then," said Tsunami.

Mammon nodded.

"And female guard. She's good enough to delay things until you are able to fight back at least," said Mammon.

* * *

Kurama waited until things had settled down, before he presented Tsunami with something with a roguish grin on his face.

Her eyes sparkled with delight when she held the cloak that had gotten her attention in the arena.

"Genkai snagged it when the fool wasn't looking," said Kurama.

Tsunami giggled.

"Where is granny anyway?"

"She said something about settling things with Toguro."

Tsunami looked saddened.

"I see. Does Yusuke know that if he wins, Koenma could easily restore her life so long as she doesn't pass on first?"

Yusuke had very few positive role models in his life, and he was very close to Genkai. She was a tough old broad that had wormed her way into his heart and acted like the grandmother he never had.

"I'm fairly certain she discussed it with him. If he wins, then she gets to come back until her time runs out naturally. If he loses...then she sees him anyway," said Kurama hugging her tightly to him.

A sharp, sudden pain went through her heart and soul. Tsunami began to cry uncontrollably.

Genkai was gone.

It didn't take much for Puu to pick up on the fact Yusuke clearly sensed the sudden shock as well. He was crying the tears Yusuke was too proud to shed.

There was a deep-seated grief knowing Genkai was gone. However temporarily it would hopefully be, it still hurt like hell.

Kurama let Tsunami hide herself in his arms while she cried knowing Genkai was dead.

It didn't take much persuasion from Nana to have the entire team in the open room as a sort of weird sleepover. Even Xanxus joined in, even if he hadn't known the old psychic personally.

"Who is going to take Genkai's spot?" asked Hiei seriously the next morning.

"I will. If I want to have any respect from the weaker demons, they need to see me as a fighter in my own right, not just as team owner," said Tsunami, wiping tears from her eyes. "Besides, we all know this match is going to be more about Yusuke's fight with Toguro than anything else."

Kurama frowned, but at least he could respect her as a fighter enough not to suggest she stay on the sidelines.

"If you go up as a fighter, then you should show off what Genkai taught you. You're as much her legacy as he is," said Kurama.

"Yeah...besides Genkai-baa-san would get a good laugh at the looks on people's faces seeing the tiny Tora-Hime fighting right next to us and showing up the big, bad demons when she barely reaches Hiei's height!" laughed Yusuke.

Tsunami kicked her brother. Hard. Yusuke hopped on one foot with a pained grimace. Then she got an evil, evil idea.

"Oh Sorella~" sing-songed Tsunami, causing Lussuria to perk up at the tone. "It seems we might need some properly coordinated battle outfits for this last match. However we can't trust Yusuke-nii to dress himself... want to help?"

Xanxus cracked up at the horrified look on Yusuke and Hiei's faces. He wasn't the only one.

"Of course, darling! We shall make these grumpy boys look absolutely _fabulous_!" said Lussuria, sunglasses glinting with anticipation.

"Oh gods no," said Yusuke in horror, cringing.

Tsunami immediately turned the "puppy dog eyes of doom" on him, complete with teary expression and hopeful eyes.

Yusuke and Hiei caved in to their doom within seconds. Even if she had grown up and gotten a spine, she was still the innocent little kitten that had wandered into the wrong side of town and befriended a delinquent that Yusuke so clearly remembered.

There was literally no defense against that expression for anyone.

* * *

 _Elsewhere on the mainland..._

"Ciaossu Fon."

"Hello Reborn," said Fon with tired amusement. It was a pity he couldn't make it to the Dark Tournament. Fortunately he knew Tsunami would have someone record their matches for him. "What brings you here?"

"I noticed the pacifier's glow and spotted you. I'm on my way to see Vongola Nono about something."

"I see. So he's decided on his replacement heir then?"

It was no secret that with Federico dead and Xanxus suddenly turning up missing, that Nono was on thin ice with choosing his successor. He either needed to produce one fast, or worse, let Iemitsu take the reigns.

Which would be a disaster on _multiple_ levels. CEDEF was already a laughingstock, and no one would bet on the Vongola surviving if Sawada were Decimo.

Reborn would normally not say anything, but he had noticed something odd about Fon's Flames.

"You harmonized."

"I have. I'm also somewhat irked that I had one last contract to fill which happened to take place during the same time period as the Dark Tournament," said Fon irritably. "It's bad enough Mammon's going to it."

Reborn stared.

"You actually want to go to that headache?"

"My Sky has managed to become the owner of the Guest team this year, and one of the team is my student as well. A particularly headstrong Lightning, but a loyal one."

"Really?" said Reborn with interest.

"The boy literally jumped in front of a car to protect a child he didn't even know and barely survived. Our Sky saw past his delinquent exterior to the loyal protector underneath and even treats him like a brother."

Reborn sipped his drink.

"What's your Sky like?"

"A tiger kitten," said Fon with open amusement. "One just learning to use her claws and fangs to defend herself, but with a will of steel and a fire that might even tempt you into becoming part of her Sky. Her boyfriend though..."

"Total wimp?" asked Reborn knowingly.

Fon grinned almost evilly.

"Her boyfriend is Youko Kurama," he said with amusement, enjoying the way Reborn nearly choked on his drink.

"You're joking. I heard he died?"

"Jumped into a fetus that was almost dead and took possession of it. Decided he liked being around his human mother enough to put off reclaiming his old titles and ended up ensnared by my Sky through her Lightning. His mother is positively thrilled he's finally showing an interest in females," said Fon with dark glee.

Reborn hummed. It took a very particular person to be able to attract demons and keep them. The spiritual beasts were much like Clouds in that they wouldn't respect anyone weaker than they were, and Youko Kurama had been a particularly fickle one with plenty of strength. Even weakened it would still take something special to get his attention like that.

Reborn checked the time on his watch. He would have to leave or he'd be late to meeting the Vongola don. And Reborn only ever did "fashionable late" when he was trying to make an impression.

For this he'd have to be on time.

(He would later be seen using Fon as target practice for laughing at him when he found out exactly who he would be training. Or playing 'catch up' as it were.)


	14. Chapter 14

Everyone took one look at Tora-Hime and started to laugh.

"That little girl is the owner of Team Urameshi?"

"She looks even more fragile than the old broad!"

"I bet she has to sleep with them to pay them!"

Tsunami said nothing. Instead she waited for one of the idiot demons to get too close before she smiled beatifically...and then obliterated the fool in a massive blast of Flames.

"Anyone else want to make a comment about my height or the fact I look like a pretty decoration?" she said calmly.

Dead silence.

Kurama watched the whole thing with open amusement...and a look of lust in his eyes. Seeing her stand up for herself against the weaker trash demons was a major turn on, and if not for the circumstances he would have kissed her senseless right then and there.

A pity he'd have to wait until this mess was over with.

Yusuke grinned, rather darkly, as he threw an arm around her shoulder.

"Nicely done, little sister," he said proudly.

"I want to do Genkai-baa-san proud. I won't let these pathetic losers stop me from ending this," said Tsunami flatly. Her eyes glowed amber from her Flames.

She was dead serious about avenging her teacher/grandmother.

"Hello again, Tora-Hime."

"Sakyou-san," she nodded in acknowledgment.

"I must admit, I'm surprised you came down personally to fill the void. I would have thought you'd send one of your Elements in as a replacement," he said calmly.

"Yusuke wasn't the only student Genkai had. I might not have more than the bare bones of her original attack, but she was as much my teacher as she was his. Besides... I wouldn't earn any respect from the underworld as someone who can stand on their own two feet against demons if I stood by the sidelines all the time."

"In that case, would you like to make a wager?" he asked, smirking.

"Depends on the stakes," she countered.

"We both know the entire tournament has been leading up to the fight between your best fighter and mine. Therefor my bet is that we both place our lives in their hands. Winner takes everything, including the loser's life," said Sakyou.

"Agreed," said Tsunami without hesitation. "If I win, I get everything you had and what you took from the idiots who didn't see your little betrayal coming. I lose, and everyone on my team and my Elements will die."

Her eyes glowed amber from the power of her Flames.

Sakyou held out his hand. She shook on it firmly and without a second thought...there was no point in petty betrayals at this stage.

"In a shocking turn of events, it seems the team owners have decided to place the final bout on Urameshi versus Toguro!" said the announcer.

She could tell she had Sakyou's respect because of how she didn't balk at the idea of losing her life. Like him, she wasn't afraid to gamble everything when the stakes were worth it.

Unlike him, she didn't take joy in the pain and suffering of others.

 _Up in the VIP booths_

Xanxus watched the whole thing with interest. Seeing the little tiger down there with her men, unafraid to put everything on the line because of her trust in them made him rather pleased.

She might look like a little kitten, but she had a spine and claws.

It made him wish she was the heir, not whatever weak trash the old man could drum up as the next Decimo.

At least with her, he could easily see the Vongola standing strong, much like it had when his Nonna was alive and in charge. There was a lot of Daniela's fire in the little tiger.

Mammon heard their cell phone go off.

"It's Fon. Reborn was called in by Nono earlier about something," said Mammon.

Xanxus blinked.

"Why would the old man call Reborn in unless..."

The Wrath grinned viciously.

"Oh this is good. This is very good..." he said evilly.

The only reason the old bastard would call Reborn in so soon after Federico was killed...would be if he planned to make the little tiger the next Decimo heir. Reborn had made a name for himself by pulling the Cavallone out of the fire when the youngest heir was stuck holding the reigns as their don. An heir notorious for being a total klutz who didn't want anything to do with the mafia.

Which meant they were about to have the entertainment of the sadistic hit man being caught completely flatfooted by a girl who had managed to make her own little niche in the underworld without relying on the Vongola's name.

"How quickly can you get cameras? I want that tiny ass house covered...after we have everything important moved into the new one that was just finished," said Xanxus. Mammon was smirking in agreement.

It was about time someone managed to one-up that ass Reborn.

Toguro knew Urameshi was holding back, unconsciously or not. He wanted the boy's _full_ strength, even the reserves. He wanted to be sure that Genkai's legacy didn't go into unworthy hands.

The girl had his respect with how calmly she had walked into the arena, and proudly declared that Genkai was her teacher. He could see the exactly same fire his former lover had in her when they first meet in the tiny girl. She had an unbreakable will and wasn't afraid to put her life on the line for what she believed in.

Now he just had to draw out that same inner fire in Genkai's only apprentice.

Tsunami didn't flinch when Yusuke flew past her from a hit Toguro had given him. She did, however, look quite vexed.

"Yusuke-nii, what are you doing?" she demanded. "Why are you holding back?"

"I ain't holding back!"

"Yes, you are! We both know this isn't the best you can do. And the only _civilians_ here are Kaa-san and the others, who already know about the underworld! Do you really want to get into the habit of holding back _everything_ when I need you the most? Don't forget the terms of the deal I made with the other owner! If you lose, you're not the only person who will die!"

Something seemed to shift in Yusuke's aura after she scolded him. He shook his head clear of any doubts as a green aura coated his body.

Toguro raised an eyebrow. The boy was an Active Lightning? That explained quite a bit, like why he was so hard to put down.

"Besides... if you don't win here, you'll have to face the disappointed and irritated look on Genkai-baa-san's face in the afterlife. Do you really want her punting you around for being such a lazy apprentice who couldn't even avenge her properly?" said Tsunami.

"Alright, alright I get it! No more holding back," he grumbled.

Tsunami patted him on the arm...and something in him relaxed as he walked forward.

His _Sky_ needed him, now more than ever, to protect her from danger and certain death. Loss was unacceptable and he had a grudge against this bastard for killing the closest thing to a grandmother he ever had.

Green fire crackled from his hands as he used his Lightning offensively for the first time since Fon drilled into him the bare basics of using Flames. He could manifest them, but his go-to attack was always his rei gun.

This was not the time to trash talk. There was no way around what he had to do. The only option was to move forward with his Dying Will and protect his Sky, a girl who had looked past his crappy reputation and gave him a home he had never known he was yearning for his entire life. Who saw _him_ , not the delinquent kid with the alcoholic mother and no future.

 _The only limits on Flames are the ones you put there yourself. The purity of the Dying Will Flame is entirely dependent on the resolve you have to move forward. You are an unpolished gem that was lying in the muck that thrives in the lower dregs of society. When the time comes you should prove to your Sky that you were worthy of the trust she has shown you._

Yusuke could still hear the words Fon told him when he complained about his Flame training ringing in his ears.

The only limits he had were those he put on himself. If his resolve was strong enough, then his Flames would never break. If he wavered, then his Sky, his little sister, would die.

And that was unacceptable.

His resolve firmed, and he faced his opponent without hesitation or fear.

Toguro's smirk was positively demonic.

This was more like it.

 _In the VIP box..._

Xanxus had a strange grin on his face. The demon's blood in his veins was pumping from seeing this fight. The baby Lightning who had only started to shine was stirring his own desire to fight up.

"Boss?" said Mammon in question.

"When the little tiger gets the new tournament up and running, I want us in the real fighting. Not the pansy one for idiots," said Xanxus.

It had been far too long since he had a proper, all out no-hold's barred fight with his life on the line. The kind of fight where a man proved once and for all whether he was trash or Quality.

He might have won the battle with the old bastard if Nono hadn't pulled out such a cheap trick out of his sleeve.

"Boss, your demon blood is awakening," warned Luss.

It was never a good sign when the Boss' blood started to wake up. He tended to lose focus of who was friend from foe and went on a rampage.

Squalo only survived it because Xanxus apparently recognized his scent, or so he claimed.

"I can't help it. Seeing this sort of fight gets it boiling," said Xanxus, grinning wildly.

"Then wait until the bratlings are done with this and see if they'd play with you," said Verde.

Xanxus blinked and shook his head to clear his thoughts. The idea had a lot of merit...if the little tiger's group survived this, then maybe they could help him control the demon's blood he had running in his veins.

It already helped, being around Tsunami. Her Sky accepted his Wrath without hesitation or fear. She accepted _him_.

"It looks like things are winding down," said Verde, pushing up his glasses.

A Flame-enhanced spirit attack slammed into Toguro, dealing the fatal blow.

Though the second they heard the place was rigged to blow, Xanxus began grinning just as wildly again.

This was an excellent time to blow off some steam, and he had been meaning to test his new guns.

Tsunami looked exhausted beyond belief. Fortunately, Kurama had her head in his lap and a damp cloth blocking out the light.

"Well that was exciting," said Spanner dryly.

"Exciting my ass! That bastard never said anything about blowing up the damn stadium with us in it!" said Hayato irate.

"You sure you want this hot headed idiot for your Storm?" asked Xanxus. He looked rather pleased with himself...then again he had blown open most of the holes to allow everyone to escape.

"He can't be worse than Yusuke-nii. Give him a few months to settle into the group and I'm sure he'll fit in fine. Speaking of which, where should we leave you, Spanner?" asked Tsunami without moving the cloth.

"If it's all the same to you, I'd rather stick with this group. No way am I passing up a chance to work with _the_ Verde. Besides, I've always wanted to see Japan and I have a chat friend in Namimori."

"Really?"

"So princess, what exactly did you get out of this deal?" asked Jin, a wind demon Yusuke had managed to pick up along with his icy friend Touya. Upon learning Tsunami was buying a mansion so her people had a place to live, they had managed to sweet talk their way into a couple of rooms.

Mostly because Tsunami could see how much fun Yusuke had with Jin around to play with and Yukina could use another ice apparition to talk to. Besides, it wasn't like they had anywhere else to go.

"I now own everything the Black Book Club did, including the island and the contracts they used to make the tournament. Care to help me set up the one for next year?" said Tsunami grinning.

Dead silence.

"You're going to continue the tournament?" said Touya in shock.

"Why not? It gets the worst of the aggression out of most demons that manage to get to the human world and it's a major money maker if you play it right. And I'm considering a second tournament where the weaker and more foolish mafioso can come and test their luck playing with the D rank and lower demons. After they sign waivers of course."

Seeing them stare at her, she shrugged.

"I like money and if they sign waivers first then their deaths are not my problem or the spirit world's problem."

"You're going to be taking out the more annoying trash in a way that makes you a lot of money," said Xanxus snorting.

"By the way Xanxus... why are your eyes slit like a snakes and why do you smell of brimstone?" asked Tsunami.

"The Boss' blood was excited when he saw your fight," said Mammon. "If it gets too out of hand he tends to go on a complete rampage."

Tsunami, rather than look afraid of such a thing, looked at him with open sympathy.

"Ah. I'm guessing you've never had a real fight where you could let loose and enjoy yourself without hurting others, right? Anyone up for a round robin sparring match at Genkai-baa-san's later?"

Every single one of her team raised their hand, as did Jin and Touya's.

"Brat, I don't recall giving you full run of the place yet," said a familiar voice.

Genkai managed to withstand the tackle-hug from Tsunami with some ease.

"Baa-san!"

"What the hell?!" yelped Yusuke.

"I may have died, but Koenma managed to bring me back as part of your wish. I'm not gone yet, slacker," said Genkai gruffly. "I've got at _least_ fifteen more years in me to whip your sorry ass into shape."

And with that the Dark Tournament ended properly. Xanxus couldn't wait to see Reborn's face when he was properly introduced to the little tiger.


	15. Chapter 15

"Mammon, I will pay you fifty percent of all the money from the trades I'm cutting out if you help me sort this mess."

"Deal," said Mammon without hesitation.

"And that includes the fee I'll undoubtedly pay the Varia in order to dispose of the recently acquired trash properly...just be sure to leave evidence behind for the cops to use," said Tsunami.

"Understandable. And may I ask that I be present when your idiot genetic donor figures out you're a better mafioso than he is?"

"Of course!"

"So let me get this straight. We're not heading back to the town until after you get this mess sorted out?" said Takeshi.

"I've filled for an extended vacation. As far as they know it's a family emergency, and we need a week to deal with it," said Tsunami cheerfully.

"What sort of family emergency?" asked Yusuke.

"Our grandmother died, it was just awful," said Tsunami with a straight face, well aware that Genkai was in hearing range.

"I thought I heard something insulting brat," said Genkai, irritably.

"It was just terrible! She suddenly keeled over and croaked at ninety!" said Tsunami with a straight face.

Genkai's face twitched. Yusuke's did too, for a very different reason.

"I'm only seventy you brat!"

"I don't know, with those wrinkles you could be mistaken for ninety," said an innocent voice.

It was Fon, and he looked far too amused.

"So you won?"

"And now we need to straighten out the spoils so I can get rid of the things we don't want or need and still be allowed into Mafia Land," said Tsunami. "I'm thinking dispose of the more dangerous and slippery idiots and let the cops sort out the rest. Might as well make them useful for once."

She was not letting a human or drug trafficker slip through the net if all she had to do was let the Varia do their jobs.

"So what are we calling this budding famiglia of yours?" asked Fon with dark amusement.

Tsunami's face went blank.

"I honestly have no idea. I was leaning toward Arc-En-Ciel or something..." she admitted.

"As in the French term for Rainbow?" said Mammon.

"Well I do have at least one Arcobaleno on my side, so why not?"

"Too obvious," said Mammon.

"Hmm... what to call us..."

"Did you know that whenever you get serious about something, Tora-hime, that your eyes glow amber like the twilight sky during dawn and dusk?" said Fon.

"Twilight Eyes... It sounds really good, but I really, really don't want to be associated with that series. It was an insult to proper vampire lore and downgraded the genre. No one takes vampires seriously anymore."

"I'll agree to that," said Genkai in disgust. There were answering nods to all who had read or even seen the movies.

"How about Tiger Eyes instead, since we call her Tora-hime all the time?" suggested Yusuke.

That got snorts of amusement all around.

"Then shall we make it official? The new famiglia under Tora-hime is the Tiger Eyes?" said Fon amused.

It was a small group, more like a family. And it wasn't like any of the famiglia or Triad groups he had dealt with before. But Fon could honestly say that if the little tiger put her mind to it, she could change the underworld.

However a lot of people wouldn't like that, so until then he would have to protect her. Fon didn't mind harmonizing with someone as gentle and kind as Tsunami.

Even if it was a foolish dream...it was something he cherished.

"Now... what was this about cleaning up a mess?" asked Fon.

Tsunami handed him a sheaf of papers.

"This is what I won off Sakyou when he disbanded the Black Book Club forcibly and seized their assets. I want to get rid of any drug and human trafficking...and I'm fully prepared to have the Varia clean out the more slippery fools who think they have nothing to fear because they can buy off the cops and the judge," said Tsunami.

Fon took one look at the contents of the paper...and his face went flat.

"I see."

"Like I said, I'm not about to keep scum like that alive. The lower ranks can be dealt with by the cops...but the higher ups, those smart enough to be able to remake what they lost using the same tactics? They're dead as far as I'm concerned. The world has enough darkness without adding more to it."

Fon's smile was dark and rather...anticipatory.

He knew some of these names and he sometimes had dark thoughts of dealing with the scum after he ran into them.

"...Mind if I take a few of these?" he asked hopefully.

"Stay long enough for us to troll Reborn, then we'll send you off to play with them. I'm guessing you've had plenty of experience with them already?"

"More than enough that I'd wipe them out with a smile on my face," he admitted. "Did you just say 'troll Reborn'?"

"You said the Ninth was calling him in on for something, and with Federico dead the only 'heir' left is me, apparently, since it's doubtful he'd want to wake Xanxus up. That is, if he still hasn't figured out his adopted son is no longer in his care. Which means he's likely to be sent to train a 'civilian' into becoming Decimo."

"..."

Fon looked very much like he wanted to cackle.

"If agree to hold one of the cameras, can I join in to see the look on his face?" he asked hopefully. This was too amusing to pass up.

Mammon and Verde shared a smirk.

"Feel free. Besides, you get to design your own room since the hime has already picked a new house to live in," said Mammon.

* * *

Reborn had a weird feeling about the house ever since his ploy to get into the family was accepted so easily. The girl was hiding something from him and she was far too accepting of the whole mafia heiress thing for him to like.

And then he met the girl's "big brother" and things clicked into place.

"...You're Fon's Sky, aren't you?"

"Yup," she agreed smiling. "We were waiting for you to show up before we moved out of the house. We didn't want you to cause a scene just as we were settling in."

"...I am going to kill Iemitsu."

"And to think, we haven't even gotten to the fun parts yet!" chirped Tsunami.

Reborn's desire to murder the incompetent "Young Lion" shot up by several degrees within the first hour. By the end of the week, that desire had solidified.

He figured he at least owed Timoteo a fair warning.

" _Did something happen?"_

"You should probably start looking for a new External Adviser now. When I see Iemitsu I am going to murder him so brutally that even the Varia would take notes."

" _...That bad?"_

"Everything I was told about my new student is so off the mark it's embarrassing."

Timoteo sighed.

" _I take it I should start the process of unfreezing Xanxus?"_

"I never said she wouldn't make a good Decima. I'm saying that your head of intelligence is a complete idiot. If anything she's going to turn the Alliance on it's head when she finally starts taking the center stage," deadpanned Reborn. "She's a better mafioso than her own genetic donor is."

" _...I'm confused."_

"And I'm not ruining the shock you're about to get when you find out what she's been doing while Iemitsu avoids his wife and daughter," said Reborn vindictively. "On the plus side, she's mostly just missing a Mist Guardian, since the one she rescued would better serve as her secretary."

" _Are you telling me the seal was removed?"_

Reborn blinked.

"She was sealed? She was strong enough to harmonize with Fon _and_ she has Verde on a loose contract as her head scientist on top of having more than just a single set of Guardians. She has three Lightnings, two Storms, two Suns, a very grumpy Cloud, her little Mist, and a Rain that's a natural hit man. And that's not including the others she's managed to snag, none of which are entirely human."

" _Reborn, I don't think my heart can take much more of this. Next thing I know you'll be telling me she has demons on her payroll."_

"Her boyfriend is Youko Kurama," said Reborn, enjoying this far too much.

There was the sound of crashing on the other end and some panicked yells. Reborn hung up after that.

Too bad he couldn't see the shock on Timoteo's face finding out his current heir was dating such a well known demon.

"I bet we could bribe Koenma into showing us his face when he heard the news," said Tsunami grinning.

Reborn smirked.

If asked he would gladly admit he liked this girl. She had the right mindset for a mafia boss and she didn't take shit from anyone.

He could see why Fon was so fond of his "Tora-Hime" and couldn't wait for Nono's reaction to the Tiger Eyes famiglia making a name for themselves in the real world.

And no, he didn't particularly mind helping them filter out who should live and die. Some trash didn't deserve to live, and he didn't associate with the lower ranked idiots anyway. Besides, it showed that his new student at least had the backbone to do what was necessary.

* * *

Lal was looking through the reports and had to blink. It seemed there was a new player in the underworld, one that they should probably take seriously. It took a lot of power to tempt a demon to join a famiglia and this "Tiger Eyes" openly boasted four of them at least. Two ice apparitions, one wind demon and drunkard that could out-brawl any human.

This new famiglia had come out of the ashes of the Black Book Club and was at least _trying_ for respectable, if the fact they were disposing of the drug and human trafficking contacts they had acquired. The weapons were left alone, which was rather sensible.

However anyone that could hire the Varia to do spring cleaning and had demons in their ranks had the potential to be a major player. And to think, they hadn't been acknowledged as a legitimate famiglia for a full month yet.

"Anything new?" asked Oregano.

"New famiglia. Might be trouble later," said Lal, handing over the profile.

"Tiger Eyes?"

"The name's original, at least," said Lal.

"Demons, openly able to afford multiple Varia missions, has an Active Sky..." Oregano read out loud.

This new famiglia could become either a major thorn or a potentially powerful fledgling ally to the Vongola.

"Has the boss read this?"

"He's out drinking, again," said Lal in disgust. There was no love lost between her and the head of CEDEF. The only reason the idiot hadn't been iced or just plain fired was because Nono favored him and the man was going senile.

"Should we investigate?"

"Let's wait out and see what their first big move is before we start looking into them. For all we know they might be another family that ends within a year once they try to jump into the game."

A lot of baby Families tried to do too much, too fast and ended up forcibly disbanded when they pissed the wrong person off. Even if their profile did sound impressive, it didn't mean anything if they couldn't handle it.

"By the way, did you hear? Reborn called the Ninth and delivered news that made him _faint_ ," said Oregano.

"Wonder what the headache told the old man to cause that reaction."

"From what I heard, the new heir is apparently dating a famous demon or something."

Lal stared.

"You're kidding."

"I also heard Reborn is pretty pissed with the Boss. He said that the Ninth is going to be down an External Adviser the next time he sees Iemitsu."

Lal blinked.

"What sort of intel did that idiot give Reborn to piss him off _that_ much?"

Reborn barely tolerated Iemitsu's presence...so for him to openly declare he was going to murder the idiot the intel must have been so far off that even _Reborn_ wouldn't forgive the idiot for it.

* * *

Tsunami was just getting home from school (it had become increasingly more tolerable of late) when she noticed the egg she got from Koenma glowing.

She quickly went and picked it up, eager to find out what sort of spirit beast she would get.

So far they had been able to narrow down Yusuke's as some sort of bird creature...still a baby though. It would likely need a good push before it grew up to it's full size.

Tsunami took her egg into the living room where most of her friends and family were. She was hugging it to her chest with a smile on her face.

"So your little egg is finally going to hatch? It's only been a month, right?" said Jin, ears quivering.

"Try closer to a month and a half," said Tsunami. "I can't wait to meet them!"

Needless to say quite a few of her group came to meet Tsunami's new partner.

Reborn could only pet Leon as he wondered what his new student was going to get out of that tiny egg.

Cracks began to form, before a silver light spilled from inside the egg.

When that died down, there was something new in Tsunami's arms. It only took a few seconds to register what she was holding before Yusuke started snickering.

"Looks like Tora-hime got herself a tiger cub!"

In Tsunami's arms was a silver-furred tiger with black stripes, with red and blue eyes. It yawned cutely and curled into her side with a purr.

"It's so cute! Now I have two furry animals to cuddle!" said Tsunami happily.

"What's the first one?" asked Reborn, smirking.

"Kurama," said Hiei bluntly.

Said thief was almost jealous of the newly 'hatched' tiger.

Tsunami put the cub down on the floor, and it tried to walk. It was a little gangly though and was no where near it's adult form. However unlike Yusuke you could tell right away that it still held a _lot_ of power.

It was ridiculously cute though.

"What are you going to name this little one?" asked Fon.

"I was thinking Byakuya. I _might_ have named it Byakko, but I really don't want to reference one of the Four Saint Beasts by accident," said Tsunami.

The newly named Byakuya (because you could tell right away it was a male) yawned, making it look even more adorable.

( **A/N: Byakuya looks like the kitten Mutikapa from** _ **Utawarumono.**_ )


End file.
